Savior of Heroes
by Baloshua
Summary: Heroes, no matter how heroic or amazing they were, always suffered a similar fate. A sad ending and a tragic death at the hands of others. However, one group has stepped up to make sure that, one way or another, this story WILL have a happy ending at the end of the day. (Multiple servants, time traveling, and historical reference.)
1. Introduction

Heroes.

People who were renowned throughout the world as heroic figures that everyone can look up to and inspire to. Tales of heroes slaying dragons and protecting people from mythical beasts were what all children used to read in their story books.

A German knight who killed a legendary dragon...

A demigod who completed twelve impossible labors...

A woman who fought for her county and God...

Those were just the few of the famous heroes who have left their marks on the world and on history itself.

However, no matter how heroic or strong the hero is, they always suffer a sad death at the hands of others out of jealousy or hate.

Stabbed in the back by his friend...

Doused in acid and forced to endure painful torture before succumbing to death...

Burned at the stake by her enemies without mercy...

Did these heroes, who have done many great things in their life, deserve to be killed off in a gruesome manner and suffer a sad fate? Granted, not all of them had been entirely perfect, but their deeds have far exceeded their problems.

Seeking for adventure, and not having anything better to do, four teens have built themselves a machine to go to an anime that is heavily based on mythology and the famous figures that have walked the earth ever since the dawn of time.

The fate universe.

Or was it nasuverse? Ah, whatever. Fate always confused the hell out of everyone who reads it.

Their machine took several long years to build, and the money used to make it was up in the millions. The project had been started by their millionaire parents in the early 2010 after they went obsessed with anime. They had managed to complete it before their death, and have left their inheritance for someone to discover.

Kuro, jin, Luke, desmond, and Alex have discovered the machine after they had found a mysterious trap door in their parents basement that was hidden out of view. The machine looked like a massive cryosleep pod from halo, and was hooked up with thousands of wires.

All of the wires connected a computer to the machine, and had computer codes scrolling up and down the computer.

They took a look at what the computer codes were supposed to do, and we're surprised. They were codes that were designed to give the people who went through the machine powers of their own choosing.

Of course, it was limited because their was only a finite amount of space on the computer.

Of course, being the adventure driven kids they were, how could they pass up such an opportunity? After tinkering with the machine for several hours, they managed to figure out how it worked.

There were many wires scattered around the room, and hooked the machine to a computer that sat by the desk. Apparently, the computer was supposed to set your destination, and give you any anime power that you wanted as long as their was enough computer space to input the codes.

Naturally, when one has the ability to give themselves any power, you know they're going to abuse the shit out of it. The only problem was which powers were they going to get?

In the end, they all decided to grab powers from the most awesome anime of all time, Naruto.

After all, having powers that allow you to split a lightning bolt in half was pure badass in everyone's opinion.

They put in the computer codes for their powers, but were disappointed when they found out that they had run out of room to put computer codes for the sharingan. So in the end, they just decided to keep the rinnegan instead.

It was a little sad, but all of them were too excited to care.

They implanted codes to take them into the fate universe with the intent of traveling to the far distant past. After all, why fight a battle against seven opponents when you could actually fight them in their prime?

Once they had finished implanting the codes, Kuro slammed his finger down on the enter button, and the machine began to turn on with a hum as it began to accumulate energy towards itself.

It was like a rotor that was gradually picking up speed as it charged up energy. It casted a bright light inside of the room that got bigger with every passing second. Once the light enveloped everyone inside of the room, it quickly disappeared, showing a now empty room.

And just like that, the boys journey has begun.


	2. Jobs?

Somewhere in the far distant past, a portal opened up in the air and several male teens fell out and landed on the ground with a small sound of pain as they had the wind knocked out of them.

"Ow... Damn it!" Alex complained as he paused to get his breathing under control.

"Kuro! Why the hell did you set up the portal to drop us off from all the way up there?" Desmond complained as he hugged his side and rolled around in pain.

"Hey! It's not like I did this on purpose, I just forgot to set the trajectory, that's all." Kuro muttered in embarrassment for forgetting such an important part of his task.

"Ah... at least we made all out alive!" Luke said with a happy smile as he stood up and stretched his sore muscles. "So where are we?"

"Somewhere in Greece." Jin said as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Greece is a literal gold mine for anything related to heroes, so I thought this would be a good place to start."

"Although, I suggest we be careful." Alex said as he stood up and cracked his back. "Greece during the old days wasn't exactly... Peaceful. I wouldn't be surprised if we got attacked by a monster, right now."

"Don't say that." Desmond said as he looked down and grinned. "Well, perhaps, but I'd say we are well equipped ourselves."

Everyone else looked down and grinned in excitement at what they saw. Each of them had the trademark black and red cloak of the Akatsuki surrounding their bodies, but the real things that caught their attention was the weapons on their back.

They were very exotic looking weapons that were definitely not like standard traditional weaponry in Greece. Jin had a huge looking sword on his back that was way too big and thick to even be called a sword and more like a heap of raw iron. It was the main weapon of Zabuza, The Executioners Blade.

Kuro had a strange bandage sword strapped to his back that was almost the same size of the Executioners blade, but it looked far less threatening to people who didn't know about it's true potential. The blade was the great sword: Samehada. The weapon of Kisame Hoshigaki.

Alex himself had two twin short swords the looked impossibly sharp. They were the used tools of one of the Seven ninja swordsmen of the mist, and had the ability to channel lightning with minimal amount of chakra. They were called Kiba, used by Ameyuri Ringo.

Luke had a long blade that closely resembled that of a sowing needle. It even had a small at the base of the handle to thread needle through it in order to use the swords full abilities. It was the sowing needle: Nuibari.

Desmond was the only one who didn't wield a weapon of the ninja swordsmen. Instead, he possessed an ordinary looking katana that belonged to a lesser known Naruto character in the series. It was called Kokuto, and the blade was covered in poison that would subdue the target if even the slightest scratch was inflicted on the opponent.

"So it actually worked..." Kuro breathed out as he observed his weapon.

"I've got to admit, I wasn't expecting this to actually work." Desmond said as he held his weapon carefully so he wouldn't cut himself. "Although... we're going to surely get a lot of attention. These weapons shouldn't even exist in this era."

"Ah, we'll be fine. Let them admire these beauties all they want, they're not getting their hands on them." Luke said gleefully as he swung Nuibari around. Alex chuckled and quickly grabbed Luke's hand before he impaled someone.

"Now, now, don't get so excited just yet. We still have to test out if we have chakra in our system or not." Alex said as he looked around and found a nearby tree. "Perhaps it'll be best if we start by simply trying to walk up a tree."

"Like this?" Everyone turned and found Desmond hanging upside down on a tree branch without any look of strain at all.

"Seriously? You got it down that fast?" Kuro questioned as Desmond vaulted off the tree and landed gracefully without a sound.

"It wasn't really that hard." Desmond said as he looked around and frowned when he realized that it was getting dark. "Perhaps we should find some a town or shelter. It's getting late, and I'd rather not find out what lives out here at night."

"You have a point." Jin said as he shouldered his blade. "Alright, lets move!" Everyone nodded and quickly began heading north.

They didn't even get ten steps in before the sounds of foot steps quickly surrounded them. The teens frowned when they saw several men in greek armor step out of the tree line and surround them.

"Halt! You are trespassing on Colchis soil! We demand that you come with us peacefully or we will have to result to force!" One of the men, who everyone presumed to be the leader, yelled like he had recited this all to memory.

Of course, they came prepared for something like this. None of them have ever learned the greek language before, but the computer codes they had imputed earlier allowed the to understand other languages and respond in kind.

Kuro knew these guys wouldn't hesitate to gut them like a fish, so he had to tread carefully.

"Colchis? When did we cross Colchis soil?" Kuro questioned with a frown as he turned to look at his companions. The others got the hint and quickly shot confused looks between each other.

The man frowned. "The Colchis boarder is not that far from here. How can you not tell when you passed the border?"

Kuro shrugged. "We never really pay attention to our surroundings. We must have just passed by without a thought." He gestured to the others. "Since we understand your concern, we will allow you to take us wherever you want us to go. All we ask is that you don't take our possessions away."

The man was silent as he thought the offer over. Eventually, he just gave a nod. "Very well, but do not try any funny business, lest you wish to die."

"Thank you." Kuro said before he turned to the others. "You heard the man, follow him." Everyone nodded and fell behind the man silently as he turned and began walking off. As they walked, Kuro could practically fell the whispers and looks the rest of the men sent them as they tried to make heads or tails of who they are.

"This is uncomfortable." Luke whispered quietly enough for Alex to hear. "They keep staring at us..."

"Human nature." Alex whispered back. "humans fear what they don't understand, and we don't look like a normal greek warrior."

"It's still weird..." Luke muttered, causing Alex to let out a small smile.

"Relax. Worst thing they could do is try to impale us with their spears. By then, they'll all be dead before they have a chance to react." Alex said as he glanced at the guards out of the corner of his eyes. Slow, clunky, but obviously well trained. Still... against ninja's they won't know what hit them.

"So where are we going, sir?" Jin asked innocently as he placed his hands behind his head in a leisurely manner.

"We are going to see King Aeetes. He will decide what to do with you." The man said without pause.

"Don't you guys have someone else to do that?" Desmond asked with a confused look.

"Ah... we did, but too many people have been breaking through our borders recently, and the king wants to judge them all in person. Makes things easier on us, but it does put him at risk." The man said, obviously a little bit against such an idea.

"So how's the whole process going to go?" Alex asked.

"Usually he just asks a bunch of questions. I don't exactly know all the details. He keeps the guards all outside when he does this since we unnerve his questionees a little bit too much." The man said.

"Seems like a nice guy." Luke commented.

"He's a nice ruler and an excellent practitioner of magic, but he's a little bit too trustworthy." The man said before they came out of the forest and found themselves at the gate of an extremely beautiful looking palace.

"Pretty!" Luke gushed as he gazed up at the structure with literal stars in his eyes. He always did have a fine liking for art and has seen many kinds of artworks before, but this castle was clearly nothing no man from the twenty first century has ever seen before.

It was made out of stone and shiny marble that gave it an almost fearsome, but serene look. The marble glistened in the night sky, and looked like it produced its own light to illuminate the area.

"Indeed. It took several years for us to build it, but it was finished thanks to King Aeetes magic." The man said with an amused smile when he saw the stars in Luke's eyes. "Come on, the king will be waiting for you." The gates opened and they all walked through into the palace courtyard.

The courtyard was just as stunning as the building in a sense that it showed off nature's beauty instead of a man-made structure. Beautiful flowers of every kind bloomed along the path, and the trees winded together to make forms of art. It was a form of nature that shouldn't even be possible to make.

They pushed through a set of doors, and headed straight into the castle. Many people roamed around the halls doing their duties, and some even sent them curious glances as they walked by. They finally found themselves at another set of doors and the man turned to them with a serious expression.

"We're here. Like I said, don't try to pull any funny stuff. You even make a single move towards King Aeetes, and he'll burn you to a crisp." The man warned.

"literally or figuratively?" Jin asked.

"both." The man said simply, causing the teens to raise their eyebrows a little. The man pushed opened the door and they all walked in silently.

The king of Colchis was nearly exactly how the teens thought he would look like. The man sat on a grand looking throne with his eyes closed as if he was sleeping. He wore gold silk robes and sported a beard that made him look like one of those wise asian monks.

"Ah... Stefano, what brings you here?" The king asked with a kind voice.

"My king, I have found these strange people during one of our patrols. I had no idea if they are spies or assassins, so I brought them here for you to judge." The man now known as Stefano said with a bow of his head. The king turned his gaze on the teens, who simply gazed back at him with patience.

"I see... You may leave, Stefano." Aeetes said. With another bow of his head, Stefano quickly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So... I guess you're going to ask us questions, right?" Alex asked. The old man smiled and gave a small nod of his head.

"I'm assuming Stefano told you while you were walking here, correct?" Aeetes asked.

"Pretty much, old man." Luke replied with a bubbly smile before Alex gave him a smack over the head.

"Luke, that's not polite of you." Alex scolded while Luke held his head with anime tears flowing out of his eyes. However, instead of being angered or annoyed, the old king just gave a hearty laugh.

"It is quite alright, young man. I have two daughters and a son who looks to be about your age, and they still calls me that to this day." Aeetes said with an amused smile.

"Ah... I see." Alex muttered as he let his hand go from Luke's head.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand." Aeetes said as he put on a bit more serious face. "As I understand it, you five have wandered into my territory, correct?"

Desmond nodded. "That's correct, sir. All of us don't have parents, so we just wander from place to place like nomads living off of the land."

Aeetes raised an eyebrow. "None of you have parents?"

"None of us knew them." Jin lied.

"I see..." Aeetes muttered before he eyed the weapons that they had. "And where did you get those weapons?"

"We made them ourselves." Alex said as he held up his twin swords. "Protection only."

"So you learned how to fight as well?" Aeetes asked with an impressed look. To learn how to kill and fight at their age wasn't that uncommon, but when they were living off of the streets?

"Self taught." Jin said quickly.

"I see." Aeetes hummed as he gained a thoughtful expression. "So you don't have any family to go back to, or a home to live in, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir." Kuro said with a light bow.

"Hm..." Aeetes hummed as he continued to think to himself. "Then... how about I propose for you to live with me?"

The teens stared at him with surprised looks. Living with a king? That was like getting an invitation to spend the night at the white house with the president, only better!

"L-live with you, sir?" Alex stuttered with a surprised look.

"Correct. Like you said yourself, you have nowhere to go." Aeetes said with a small smile. "You can stay here and live within my castle as long as you work for me as my children's body guards.

"That's all?" Jin asked with surprise.

The king nodded. 'That's all." Aeetes suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Besides, my children don't really have anyone other than each other to look to. It would be good for them to get to know other people their age."

The teens looked at each other and found that acceptable. A father only wants what's best for their children, and will go to any lengths to take care of them. Besides, this man was said to be the father of Medea, the witch who married Jason and ended up becoming a villain after he broke up from her.

Their job right now was to give people some happy endings, right? Well, Medea does deserve some happiness considering what will happen to her in the future.

"I see... We all accept your offer, King Aeetes." Kuro said as everyone bowed their heads in acknowledgement. Aeetes smiled, please with the outcome.

"So how do you want us to protect your children?" Desmond asked.

"Just simply be by their sides at all times. They don't really leave the castle grounds often, but my children's safety is my first priority." Aeetes said.

"And what should we do with any... suspicious people?" Jin asked.

"Try to take them in, if you can. Otherwise, just keep them from hurting my children through any means necessary." Aeetes said.

"Great! So when do we get to our charges" Luke asked with excitement at being put in charge of another person.

"One of my daughters should be coming to see me right about now. She's been begging me to train her in the art of magic, so I began teaching her several years ago." Aeetes said with a hint of pride.

"Oh? Is she good?" Kuro asked.

"She has progressed faster than I expected, and is an excellent learner. Still, she won't be as good as me until she has gained a few more years on her." Aeetes said with a proud smile.

"Amazing." Alex commented since it would seem rude not to compliment him. Magic, from what he could tell, was like a harder form of science and must be very tedious to learn.

Perhaps he could find the differences between magic and his jutsu's. There may be none, but it still wouldn't hurt to experiment a little.

Suddenly, the doors were gently flung open, and a very beautiful woman strolled in. Her hair was unusually purple, and she had strangely pointed ears like an elf. She wore a purple dress that immediately made everyone recognize who she was.

She was much younger now, probably about their age, but there was no doubt as to who that person was.

The princess of Colchis, Medea.

"Hello father, I'm here for my lessons." Medea spoke with an elegant voice that sounded like literal music to everyone's ears. She gained a confused look when she realized that her father wasn't the only one in the room. "Oh? am I intruding on something? Perhaps I can come back later..."

"It is quite fine, Medea." Aeetes said with a wave of his hand. "My soldiers just picked up these boys on one of their little patrols and brought them here for a chat."

"Ah... I see." Medea spoke quietly with a little bit of shyness.

"So I'm guessing she is one of your daughters?" Desmond asked.

"Quite. She'll be who you will be protecting from now on." Aeetes said, causing Medea to shoot him a confused look.

"huh? What do you mean, father?" Medea asked.

"Since these kids have nowhere else to go, I'm letting them stay here as long as they work for me as your bodyguards, sweetie." Aeetes said with an amused smile.

"Again?" Medea sighed as if she has done this before. "Last time you did this, we had to spend several weeks repairing property damage after the last batch tried to touch Chalciope."

"I can assure you, these kids aren't like those last ones." Aeetes said with a smile. Although, it was clear that he was cringing at that blatant reminder to a bad memory.

"They'd better be. i'd rather not have a repeat of last time." Medea said as she sent her father a semi-crossed look. Aeetes coughed before turning back to the group.

"Medea can show you around the castle and introduce you to her brother and sister."

"Chalciope and Absyrtus are sleeping." Medea cut in.

"Fine, she can show you around the palace." Aeetes quickly corrected.

"So does this mean we have to cancel lessons?" Medea asked with a pout on her face.

Aeetes gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sweetie. But I'm busy with my work, and it wouldn't be polite of me to leave them to wander around the castle blindly." He leaned in and whispered. "Plus, you could spend some time with these fine young boys. Who knows? You might even take a liking to one of them."

"Father!" Medea hissed as her face turned red.

"Is there anything wrong?" Desmond asked obliviously. Medea straightened herself up and coughed.

"No, nothing is wrong." Medea said as she regained her composure. "Father just wants me to show you around the castle, are you okay with that?"

"That is no problem at all." Jin said before he turned to Aeetes and bowed once again. "Thank you for your generous offer. We promise, we won't let you down."

Aeetes chuckled. "I'm sure you won't. Now, go and follow my daughter. She'll show you all this place has to offer." The teens gave the man a bow once again, before they left with Medea out the door.

Medea actually wasn't a very bad person considering about her legend. She seemed pretty carefree, but shy at the same time. She showed them around the castle, and it was an even more amazing sight to behold from the inside.

Aeetes practically pimped out the entire castle with miniature hot tubs, a brewery, and a literal armament that held thousands of weapons that were waiting to be used.

"How long did it take to build this place?" Kuro asked.

"It took about several weeks to build. Maybe two months at best." Medea said. When she noticed the confused looks on their faces, she giggled. "Magic, dummies. You think father could build all this in the span of several weeks without magic?"

"Ah... No." Jin muttered as the crew rubbed their heads in embarrassment.

"So when do we get to meet your siblings?" Luke asked with a smile which basically screamed 'CUTE!' in the princess's mind.

"Well... You'll most likely see them tomorrow. They're sleeping right now, and I don't think they'd like having me wake them up to introduce you, so it'd probably be best to introduce you tomorrow." Medea said as she silently willed herself not to run over and crush Luke in a hug squealing the word 'cute' over and over.

"Does your siblings have any kind of quirks we should watch out for?" Desmond asked. It's always best to figure out a person's do's and don't's before talking with them. After all, it wouldn't do to get on their bad side if they were going to be protecting them.

"My younger brother, Absyrtus, you shouldn't have any problem with him. He always wants to make new friends but it's my sister you'll have to be a little bit careful around." Medea said.

"Why? Does she hate men?" Alex asked.

"Not, really. You see, Father used to have a bunch of guards around us all the time. Far older than us, but they were apparently one of the finest warriors in his army. Unfortunately, she kicked all of them out with force after one of them... groped her." Medea explained with a hint of discomfort. She remembered how angry her sister was, it was like watching a god go ape on a bunch of humans.

"Oh." Desmond said simply while they tried to process that.

"Scary." Luke muttered.

"She's not a bad person, but she'll probably need some time before she starts warming up to you guys." Medea said quickly. She didn't want these guys to get the wrong message about her sister.

"So we should just give her a wide area?" Kuro asked.

"Probably best if you do." Medea said with a shrug. She lead them down the hallway and stopped in front of two sets of doors. "These will be the rooms you are going to stay at. Should be enough beds for you inside."

They opened the doors and were surprised at what they saw. The bedrooms were made of pure marble like the rest of the castle, and there were several expensive looking furniture decorating the room.

They were the most absolutely pimped out bedrooms ever. Practically worth more than an entire house in the twenty first century.

"Wow." Jin said in awe while the rest of the boys nodded in agreement.

Medea smiled at their reaction. "I trust that you're okay with these arrangements?"

"This will suite us just perfectly. Besides, we never lived in a room this nice." Jin said as he watched the others run into their room in excitement.

"I'm glad that you find it suitable." Medea said as she watched the boys explore their rooms.

"Believe me, this is more than what we've ever had." Jin said.

"mmm." Medea hummed before she turned to face him. "If you need to know anything, don't hesitate to call me. My room is the last one on the far right."

"Good to know." Jin said with a thankful smile. "Go get some rest, Medea. You missed out on your fathers lessons today, and I have no doubt he will be extra hard on you tomorrow."

"A-ah, your absolutely right." Medea stuttered as she felt her face light up at those words. "I-I'll see you tomorrow, Jin."

Jin nodded and entered his room before shutting the door quietly behind him. Medea stood there for a couple seconds as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her.

"What is wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?" Medea thought to herself in confusion as she recalled her reaction to his words. Eventually, she shrugged and headed back to her own room. "Questions for later."

She needed a nap.


	3. Getting to Know The Family

Medea woke up early the next day and gave a sigh as she remembered what transpired yesterday. She threw herself off her bed and quickly changed out of her sleeping clothes into her regular clothes, which consisted of a single purple dress with a hood that was given to her by her father after her first year of training in magic.

As she got into her dress, she began to wonder how she should announce to her siblings that they would have new bodyguards for them. Her brother would be excited, but she highly doubted her sister would have the same reaction.

She decided to just see how everything plays out. Even if Chalciope doesn't want to talk to them, she'll have to warm up eventually. She folded her bedsheets and sighed. Her head hurt at how hard she was thinking things. A normal magus should always be cool and composed to perform at full efficiency. She's been doing this for several years now, she shouldn't have any problem doing it now.

She finished making her bed before she stepped out of her room and into the castle's hallway. Her footsteps echoed around the hallway as she made her way towards her father's throne room.

"I wonder what he's going to teach me..." Medea mumbled to herself. She had mastered the art of potion making, healing, boundary fields, and mental manipulation. It was only a few weeks ago when her father deemed her proper enough to start training her in the more... destructive spells. Performing them was tough, and she almost destroyed parts of the castle when she tried to perform them, leading to her father to make her practice outside.

"Sister!" A voice called from behind her. Medea turned and found her brother, Absyrtus, running towards her with a smile on his face. "Sister! Don't tell me you're going to go eat breakfast without me!"

Medea gave an amused smile and gave her brother a pat on the head. "I wasn't. I was just heading over to see father to resume my training."

Absyrtus pouted. "You've been working hard with your lessons with father, shouldn't you take a break or something? You don't even hang out with me or older sister that much anymore."

"Sorry, but magic is only one of the few things I actually excell at, so I can't just give up on it." Medea said as she poked her brothers forehead. "Besides, you'll be meeting someone new, today."

"Who?" Absyrtus asked with some excitement at getting to meet other people. Medea was about to respond when another voice, this time female, cut her off.

"Medea!" Medea and Absyrtus turned to find their older sister, Chalciope, walking towards them. Chalciope was only older than Medea by about several months, and she constantly held that fact over their head when she questioned her sister's superiority. Her hair was a deeper shade of purple, and she was also slightly taller than her. Other than that, she looked almost exactly like Medea.

"Yes, sister?"

"I'm going to the city and I was wondering if you would like to join me." Chalciope said with a smile.

"She's busy, sis. Magic tutoring with father." Absyrtus said, saving Medea from having to repeat what she said. Chalciope sighed and shook her head.

"Such a shame. You've been working hard with your training, you should learn to take a break or you're going to work yourself to death one of these days." Chalciope stated with her big sister voice.

"Sorry, maybe next time." Medea said sheepishly.

"Medea, didn't you say I was going to be meeting someone new, today?" Absyrtus asked with a cute tilt of his head. Chalciope frowned and leaned in to better hear the conversation.

"Ah, yes." Medea said, bracing herself for her sister's fury once she delivered the news. "Father has gotten us another set of personal bodyguards. He didn't say where he got them, but he promised them that they would be allowed to live here as long as they worked as our bodyguards."

There was silence as those words as her siblings tried to process that information. Just as she expected, Absyrtus had an excited expression on his face, and seemed to be looking forward to his new bodyguards.

Chalciope, on the other hand...

"What?!" Chalciope screeched. Medea and Absyrtus flinched as the sound was amplified throughout the entire hallway. "Father got us another set of bodyguards without our consent? Ugh!" She threw her arms up in exasperation and Medea sighed.

"They're not what the type of people you're thinking of. They're actually pretty nice and polite once you get to know them." Medea said as she tried to placate the angry demon that was in front of her.

"How can you know that after one meeting? For all we know, their attitudes could be a front for us to lower our guard!" Chalciope yelled with continuous displeasure. Suddenly, all of them froze when an amused voice cut in from behind them.

"I can see why Medea warned me to tread lightly around you." The three of them turned and found jin leaning against one of the pillars silently with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The three of them were surprised of his presence. He was definitely not there before they came in, and even the slightest sound could be heard in the hallway. So how in Gaea was he able to get in the same room as them without a noise and without being detected?

He smirked when he noticed the shocked looks on their faces. If you're wondering how I got in here without being seen, it's just a skill I picked up on in my spare time."

"Y-you're our new bodyguard?" Chalciope stuttered in surprise. "But you look to be about the same age as us!'

Jin shrugged. "Just because I am the same age as you, doesn't mean that I'm not going to be a good bodyguard." He gave her a small smile. "Besides, you'll have nothing to worry about with four others looking after you."

"F-four others?" Chalciope stuttered.

"mmm." Jin hummed in confirmation before he turned to Medea. "You know, I was expecting to get yelled at, considering what you told me yesterday."

Medea shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

"H-hey! What did you tell him yesterday?" Chalciope asked.

"Nothing much. Just about what happened to the last bodyguards." Medea said with an amused smile on her face as she struggled to container her laughter. She did find it amusing that her sister had been reduced to nothing more than a stuttering mess. As far as she knew, no person was able to make her like that, not even their father.

"By the way, Medea, weren't you heading to see your father?" Jin pointed out, causing Medea's eyes to widen as she remembered where she was originally supposed to be going.

"Ah, right! I was supposed to see father for my lessons!" Medea exclaimed as she rushed off down the hallway to find her father. Jin watched her go, and gave a sigh.

"She sure does seem to take her studies seriously." Jin muttered.

"She's been like that ever since father decided to teach her magic." Absyrtus said with a small sad look on his face. "She doesn't spend as much time with me anymore." Jin smiled and gave the boy a pat on the head.

"Don't be sad, kid. I'm sure that she does want to be with you, but what she's doing is important to her." Jin said before he thought of an idea. "How about you go find my friends? They're wearing the exact same cloak as I am, and I'm sure they would love to meet you."

Absyrtus smiled. "Really?"

Jin nodded. "Really." Absyrtus squealed and ran off down the hallway in search of the others. Jin rubbed his hand through his head and let out another sigh.

"Your family really is a little bit crazy." Jin said.

Chalciope shrugged. "It is from time to time, but it wouldn't be family without our little quirks." She turned to him and gave him a glare. "If you plan to be my sister's bodyguard, you would do well not to do anything to her. If you do, not even the gods themselves will stop me from raining down a world of hurt upon you."

Jin threatened to laugh at the threat she gave him, but quickly held it back. He really didn't want to get on this woman's bad side. "Don't worry, I don't have any intention of doing anything to her. It would go against my policy to do so."

Chalciope nodded. "Good, you seem to mean it, unlike those last bunch." She muttered before her face became solemn. "Do try to take care of her while you're with her. There are lot's of crazy people out there, and I don't want to see my sister hurt. Out of the three of us, she's the most vulnerable since she doesn't like to hurt others."

Jin nodded, but he was surprised at what she said. Medea was the least violent out of the three of them? That was scary. Although, He knew the bond of siblings was a really close one so he decided to go with it. "No one will lay a finger on her unless she allows it." Chalciope's posture relaxed and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Thank you." Jin nodded silently, once again before he turned and left down the hallway to follow Medea. Perhaps he could watch her perform some magecraft and see what the difference was between magic and Jutsu.

* * *

Medea sighed as she practiced her wind spell once again against a tree in the more secluded part of the garden. The spell she was trying to utilize was a spell called **Αερο,** a spell that utilizes wind to cut through solid objects by focusing the air and making them as sharp as hundreds of freshly sharpened knives. Sadly, the best she could do was produce winds that could only scratch the bark of the tree.

"Geez... What am I doing wrong?" Medea wondered out loud to herself.

"You aren't doing anything wrong."

Medea turned and found jin sitting on the branch of an oak tree. "You're putting too much magical energy into the spell, and don't have the necessary control of the winds to the degree it needs to be used."

Medea raised her eyebrow, but she leaned in to listen. "Are you a magus of some kind?"

"I guess you could call me that." Jin said before he turned to observe the cuts in the tree. They were visible, but not sharp enough to cut deep into the tree.

"These are actually quite impressive for a beginner. With enough training, you might be able to generate a hurricane in a few months." Jin commented.

Medea frowned a little at that. This guy was acting like he knew all about this. If so, how much did he know.

"For a more desirable effect, I'd suggest using less magical energy, and focus more on your control." He bent down and picked up a stray leaf that had fallen from the tree.

"Watch." Medea leaned closer and watched as jin just held the leaf lightly between his fingers. She frowned when nothing happened, but her eyes widened in shock as the leaf was suddenly torn down the middle. It was faint, but she could feel a very faint blade of wind dissipate as the leaf was torn in half.

"H-how did you do that?" Medea questioned. Jin smiled and threw away the parts of the leaf into the wind.

"Practice. I just imagined my magical energy rubbing together in the form of wind, and it worked. Think of it like friction and you've basically summarized what I just did."

In truth, jin was actually surprised that he could actually pull it off. Although, he probably shouldn't have been. Before coming here, he hadn't set the amount of chakra everyone would have in their bodies. So, the machine decided to start them all off with a small amount of chakra. Having smaller amounts of chakra made control much more easier.

It was a little bit of a downer, but he didn't really feel too upset by it. It would mean that he and the others would actually have to train to utilize their powers. In the mean time, they should probably refrain from using the rinnegan or any high taxing jutsu technique until they've built up a much bigger chakra pool.

He came out of his musings and gave an amused smile when he saw Medea gaping at him like a fish out of the water.

"W-where did you learn to do that? Who taught you?" Medea pressed, determined to expand her magical knowledge.

Jin chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Me and the others had a master for a short time while we were out on our... Journeys. He taught us a little in Magecraft, and we just expanded on it." He had to hold back a laugh when Medea looked up at him with stars in her eyes.

"Could you do that wind technique on that tree, please?" Medea begged with puppy dog eyes.

"Aww... How can I say no to that?" Jin thought before he nodded his head. "Alright." Medea inwardly grinned at the fact that she would actually get to see what a real wind spell was like up close.

"Watch closely." Jin said as he got into position. He had a small wind jutsu in his mind that could do the trick, and it won't cost much chakra to perform. In a flash of speed, he performed four handsigns.

"Wind style: great breakthrough!" He took a deep breath and exhaled a small blast of wind. Medea watched in awe as the wind literally blew through the tree and severed everything, leaving a stump in it's place.

Jin smiled proudly at what he did before he frowned when a massive wave of exhaustion fell upon him. He stifled a groan as he felt his chakra levels plummet to low levels dangerously.

Yup, definitely should try to lay off of the jutsu for a while. In the meantime, using chakra to enhance his body should be just fine for a while until he can build up his reserves.

"Incredible! That was just incredible!" Medea exclaimed with awe and excitement.

"You flatter me." Jin said with an embarrassed smile. He had to admit, being on the receiving end of praise was nice.

"What is your secret? How did you perform such high level magecraft?" Medea asked.

"Hard work and dedication." Jin lied before he turned to another tree. "If you want to get similar results with your own spell, try imagining your magical energy running against each other before releasing your spell."

Medea frowned. "Rubbing against each other?"

Jin nodded. "Yeah, kinda like that. What you're trying to do is produce blades of wind that can cut through anything. Imagining that will give you a good idea on how it's going to work."

In theory, magic circuits and magical energy are almost the same thing. The only difference was that magical energy was packed into magic circuits, which reside within a person's soul and requires the use of organic activity to operate efficiently.

Chakra was the same thing, but it was like a free energy that flows throughout the entire body rather than simply being packed in magic circuits, allowing it to be manipulated in a much more versatile manner. Such as, using it to jump higher, run faster, and hit harder than any normal human being could possibly achieve. For a normal magus to do the same feat, they can only do it for short bursts of time.

Chakra had an edge over magical circuits simply because there was no way that he knew of that could stop the flow of chakra in the body. Magic circuits, on the other hand, could be damaged, and, once it was, would no longer be able to be used.

There could be some things that magical energy could be improved on, but that would require a whole load of research to find out.

Medea faced the tree and closed her eyes in concentration as she tried to envision what jin had suggested to her. She imagined two pieces of wood rubbing against each other, picking up speed and causing friction.

When she finally got the image into her head, she muttered the spell under her breath and felt her magical energy spike as the spell was released. To her surprise, there was a sudden gust of wind, and she watched in surprise and satisfaction as the top half of the tree toppled over into the ground.

"I did it..." Medea muttered in surprise as she looked upon the results.

"Congratulations." Jin said with a satisfied nod. "To be honest, I thought it would take a few more tries until you were able to do it. It seems you've got a real flare for magic." He gave her a pat on the head, and she swelled with pride at that compliment.

"T-thank you. Although, I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help." Medea addmited with a slight bow of her head. Jin smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Do not act like that is such a bad thing. Asking for help is nothing bad, and in the future, you might need the help of others to get anywhere in life." Jin said sagely. "If you need any help with anything, don't hesitate to come ask me for assistance. I'll do what I can to help you."

Medea nodded with a slight blush on her face. Jin chuckled before he began walking off. "Come on, we should probably tell of your accomplishments to your father."

"O-oh, right!" Medea quickly ran up to him and tried to keep up with his walking speed. Seeing as she's struggling to keep up, Jin slowed down a little bit and walked at her own pace.

If anyone saw them, many rumors would have probably sprouted up about how the princess of Colchis was walking along side a very handsome boy her age.

* * *

"Absyrtus, wait up!" Alex commented as he followed the youngest of the three siblings. He thought he was prepared for this, since he was the brother of Luke, but this kid might cause his hair to turn white in a few days.

"What? Can't keep up?" Absyrtus taunted with a playful tone as he ran through the streets of Colchis. Alex sighed and shook his head. Why couldn't they have stayed back at the castle? It was much more peaceful there.

When he and the others figured out their chakra levels were extremely low, they had planned to do some exercises to build it up. Unfortunately, Absyrtus wanted to head into the city for some fun and Alex was the one everyone picked to look after him.

"I could be getting stronger, but nooooo. I have to deal with much more annoying version of Luke." Alex grumbled to himself as he watched Absyrtus turn a corner. He turned the same corner, and widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Absyrtus sitting on the ground rubbing his head.

"Ow..." Absyrtus muttered as he held his head in pain. He looked up to see who or what he bumped into, and found four angry looking men in leather armor staring at him.

"Hey, kid! What in hades is wrong with you?!" The lead man growled in anger as he gestured to a wet stain that was on his armor.

"Ah... Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." Absyrtus muttered meekly as he shrunk back under the men's gaze.

"Yeah? Well, sorry doesn't cut it!" The man growled as his hand began drifting down to a club that was hanging by his waist. Absyrtus's eyes widened in surprise as he felt Alex grab him from the collar and shoved him behind him.

"Stay behind me." Alex said with a serious expression. Absyrtus gulped, and nodded his head.

"Oh? What are you, the kids bodyguard?" The man mocked. "Look at you! You don't even look that much older than he is!" The other men snickered, and Alex let out a sigh.

"I'll give you only one chance to leave us alone. Otherwise, things might get really messy." Alex warned. His Kiba blades were hidden inside his coat, and could be drawn at a moments notice, should it come to that.

Unfortunately, it seems that these men were not the brightest people in the world, and things might become inevitably messy.

"Run along, kid. We've been fighting before you were even born. What chance do you have against us?" The man growled.

"Let's find out." Alex thought before he turned to Absyrtus. "Go back to your father and tell him what's going on." Luckily, the kid didn't argue and gave a nod in response before hightailing down the street.

"You're going to regret doing that, kid. Once we're done with you, we'll go after the kid and extract some justice on him. He deserves to pay after messing up my clothing." The man snarled as he gripped the club in his right hand.

Alex smirked and began planning his moves in his head. If all went well, they'd all be unconscious before they'd get a chance to use their weapons.

If not... Well... Things will turn ugly, very fast.

* * *

 **Hey guys, there's some things I need to talk about concerning my oc, so hear me out on this. I've been getting reviews that having naruto powers are completely over powered in the fate universe, so I'm going to talk about why they're not.**

 **Jutsu's and Magic spells from the age of the gods are not so different since they use a form of spiritual energy in their attacks. The difference that sets them apart is the speed in which people can use them.**

 **For a person to use jutsu, they must complete a certain number of handseals to perform the attack. Magical spells from the age of the gods, on the other hand, are activated by simply saying a single word, allowing them to be spammed without a second thought.**

 **Take Medea for example. In the holy grail war, she was able to spam beams of light that were on the rank of anti-army and shows the ability to control lightning and wind to a frightening degree. Keep in mind, all she has to do to activate these spells is to say a single word. If you ask me, she could annihilate all of Konohona in a single day by simply laser beaming the entire village. The speed she says her magic words in, is much more faster than any jutsu a shinobi could produce.**

 **Also, a normal jonin level ninja is much more stronger and much more faster than a regular human being, but comparing their speeds to a heroic spirit such as Lancelot shows that their speed is almost the same.**

 **Keep in mind, that there are many heroes who could annihilate many characters from the naruto series without a second thought. People like, Hercules, Achilles, and Cu chulainn have fought and won against impossible odds, and could murder an entire squad of jounin without much problem with simple skill alone.**

 **Yes, my oc's have** **the rinnegan, but the rinnegan that they possess, will be like the one nagato had, not like the ones Sasuke and Madara had since those are the true definition of overpowered. The rinnegan has a handful of abilities, but the attack heavy ones are the ability to control gravity, and the power to mechanize body parts. Both of which are extremely chakra taxing, and will kill my oc's in their present state because of their low chakra levels.**

 **In the future, they will have the power to access their rinnegan safely, but that's until after they have built up their chakra reserves, which could take a long time. In other words, they will have to train to use their powers in the future.**

 **Perhaps they are a little bit strong in the world of naruto, but in the world of Fate, they fit in perfectly.**

 **That is also the reason why I didn't add the sharingan to their list of powers. Having the ability to light people on figure just by looking at them, and casting illusions just by making eye contact is an ability that even I find extremely unfair.**

 **Other than the rinnegan, jutsu, and chakra, there really is nothing else my oc's have going for them.**

 **Also, they will not get anything special like biju chakra, but anything that can be learned by normal ninja such as the 'Eight Gates' and 'Sage Mode', can be learned by them in the future.**

 **My oc's will have low chakra levels so they won't be too strong right off the bat, and force them to actually train to become stronger instead of cheat their way to the top.**

 **That's all I wanted to say. See you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	4. A lesson on life

Alex eyed the four men in front of him carefully as they drew their weapons. All of them had crude looking clubs with a rugged design to them, and were probably just as dangerous as their appearance led him to believe.

They were grown men, the youngest looking one seemed to be around the age of thirty and twenty-nine while the rest looked to be about high thirties to mid fourties.

They were each glad in armor that was made out of leather, so they were probably from one of the prairie villages that surrounded Colchis. They were probably used to rough ups and tussles since they were prairie boys, and looked like they belonged in wrestle mania.

All of them were fit looking, and looked like they were war dogs that were specifically bred for the sole purpose of killing.

Judging how big and sturdy their framework seemed to be, a hard strike to the head might be good enough to incapacitate them.

His swords were strapped to the inside of his cloak and were easy to access and pull out in a moments notice, but he didn't want to rely on them unless he had absolutely no other choice.

"I suppose nothing I say can change your mind." Alex stated as he kept his eyes trained on the men, who were giving off vicious smiles.

"You're damn right." The lead man said.

"Perhaps you can get on your knees and beg us to leave you alone. Who knows? We might just give you a lighter beatdown." One of the man's lackeys said, causing a small chuckle from the rest of them.

Alex narrowed his eyes and prevented himself from running over and wrapping his hands around the man's throat to choke the life out of him. He would not let himself be baited by their insults.

These men were clearly used to being feared through the use of intimidation and force. So, the best way to fight someone who used those tactics was to simply challenge their authority.

"Go ahead, make the first move. You'll need it if any of you want to lay so much as a scratch on me." Alex taunted. And, just like a bull seeing the color red, a flash of anger and fury crossed the men's eyes.

"You think you're tough, huh? There's four of us and only one of you." The man stated haughtily in another feeble attempt to get Alex to back down. Alex, in response, just shook his head.

"You're wrong. There's only three of you." Alex said. The men looked among each other and gave a snicker.

"Are you blind, or just don't know how to count?" The man taunted.

"Well, once I take down the ring leader, which is you. I'll have to contend with two competent wingmen who'll try a feeble attempt to harm me, whom I will then proceed to knock out. The last ones usually run." Alex said.

The guy paused for a moment before a small smile turned at the corner of his lips. Alex tensed up in preparation when the man suddenly raised his club and did a wild charge towards him. The man swung his bat high, with the intent of caving his skull in a single blow. Alex crouched low, and let the bat sail harmlessly above his head, while also throwing an elbow into the man's face as he fell forward from the attack.

The man was stunned as he felt his entire face go numb, and a strange wet sensation spreading down his face. The man reached up and wiped his face with his hand. When he pulled it away, every single inch of skin was colored red with blood.

"Heads up."

The man snapped his head up in a daze as the loss of blood quickly fatigued him, and could do nothing but try to raise his hand feebly as Alex grabbed the side of his head and banged it against the side of the wall. The man slouched down to the ground in a daze and Alex quickly turned his gaze upon the other men, who were simply frozen as they tried to process what had happened.

Alex took a deep breath as he tried to calm his nerves. Two of the remaining three men stepped forward and raised their clubs with the intention of avenging their fallen leader with his death.

"Alright... Now we know whose who." Alex said as he settled into a combat stance. "Let's get this over with."

The men rushed forward, and Alex caught the strike of the first man as he swung his club wildly. He sent his elbow straight into the man's shoulder, and felt the sound of bone being broken as the man cried out in pain and dropped to the ground.

"You bastard!" The other man cried out as he stepped forward and swung his club. Alex quickly raised his arm up and blocked the strike, before he looped his arm around them man's own, and began squeezing. The man's grip on his weapon slackened, and the club fell out of his hand and rattled against the floor harmlessly.

"Gah." The man mumbled pathetically as he realized what kind of trouble he was in. Alex quickly swung his arm, and karate chopped the man's neck. The man's eyes widened as he felt his windpipe receive damage from the strike, before he went limp in Alex's arms.

Alex quickly released the man and watched as he met the same fate like the others as he toppled over uselessly into the cold ground. Alex turned to the last remaining man who was now becoming nothing more than a retreating dot at the end of the street.

Alex released a breath that he realized he had been holding, and began to shake as the excess adrenaline began leaving him. He glanced down at his hands and grunted when he saw that they were covered in blood.

"At least I didn't have to use my swords." Alex thought as he shook his head. He placed his hands inside of his coat pockets and began walking back to the castle to check on the kid and to tell Aeetes what had just transpired.

"!"

He suddenly spun around as the sounds of uncoordinated footsteps rose up from behind him. His eyes widened when he saw that the first man he knocked to the ground and gave a broken nose, had stood up and swiped one of the remaining clubs off from the ground and was now making a crazy charge towards him with a maniacal light in his eyes.

"Die!" The man bellowed, which sounded odd with the broken nose taking a toll on his breathing.

Completely taken off guard and surprised by the attack, Alex quickly raised his hands up in reflex as the man fell upon him. Suddenly, the man seized up like he had simply been frozen in time as his hands ,raised above his head, didn't move and simply remained there, frozen.

Alex looked down, and realized, that he had drawn one of his Kiba swords from his cloak on instinct, and had pierced the man's armor in the same spot his heart was located. The man coughed out a mass amount of blood before the club fell out of his hands as his body began shutting down.

Y-you bastard..." The man rasped as he leaned his back against the wall and began sliding down. "Y-you *gasp* k-killed... me..."

The man slumped over, dead, and Alex could do nothing but stare in realization at what he just did.

He killed a man.

He freaking killed a man.

A bad person, but still a man.

He forced himself not to throw up as the truth of what he just did came into his mind. He thought he would be ready for this... He thought that after numerous hunting trips with his father in Colorado, he thought he was ready for this.

This wasn't some animal that was being hunted for food, this was an actual human being. A person just like him who lives, breathes, and is of the same species as he is, and he just killed him.

He would be lying if he said that he simply shrugged it off. In truth, he felt absolutely sick to his stomach and horrible as he gazed into the hole in the man's chest where his heart used to be and felt afraid.

He was afraid that this was the same type of thing that could happen to him. Even if he was just a teenager, this wasn't the twenty first century where kids didn't have to worry about being stabbed to death. He was in the era where war, problems, and vile monsters, ravaged the land.

He suddenly didn't feel excited at the fact he was here anymore, Or the fact that he had all of these powers. He wanted to return to the simple life of a school boy who attended high school, and was on his way to become a college student.

But he suddenly thought about the others. Would they be like him when they were forced to kill someone? Would they have to suffer this horrible feeling he felt when he killed this old bastard?

He shook his head and forced himself to slowly stand up. He couldn't be selfish and let his friends go through the same thing he did, alone. They came here on their own accord in the search of having a grand adventure. They took this world as nothing more than a harmless game to conceal the truth on just how dangerous and suicidal it was.

It wasn't a game, and they could very well die, but they couldn't back out now. There was no exit button, no power button, and no off switch to turn this world off to save themselves. They were putting themselves in a dangerous world that could very well kill them.

But they were here, and it would be pitiful for them to back out now because of simple cowardice. Like it or not, this was their world now, and he didn't have any intention of dying anytime soon.

* * *

Alex had trudged his way back to the castle slowly as he took his time to regain his composure. When he had arrived back at the castle gates, he saw Absyrtus waiting for him at the temple gate with a worried look.

"Alex!" The boy cried out when he saw him. Alex gave the boy a small smile, although it was partly forced on his part.

"Sup kid."

"I was so worried! I thought you wouldn't come back!" The boy sniffed and Alex couldn't help but compare him to his brother.

"If I was stopped by four simple thugs, then what kind of bodyguard would I be?" Alex said before he paused. "However..."

"However?"

"I killed one of them." Alex hesitantly said. Absyrtus suddenly went quiet as he processed that information. The worried look that had been plastered on his face seconds ago had now resurfaced.

"... Are you really alright?" Absyrtus asked again. Alex looked away and Absyrtus frowned. "That was your first kill?"

"Killing a human being, yes." Alex replied truthfully as he looked at the ground. "It... Wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be."

"It usually never is. At least, that's what my father told me when I witnessed my first death." Absyrtus said.

"You've killed someone before?" Alex asked with a surprised look.

"Not really. I told father that I wanted to serve in his military as a military soldier when I grew up, so he decided to show me what I would see if I were to continue with that path." Absyrtus said as he frowned at the memory. "Father took me to the execution chambers and made me watch the execution of a criminal who has been caught committing adultery. The executioner chopped his head off with an axe, and blood sprayed everywhere."

Alex frowned at the image. "Did you feel anything?"

Absyrtus nodded. "It was sickening to watch, and I nearly puked my guts out, but father just simply gave me a pat on the back. He told me that this was something I would experience on the field of battle, but it was something I would have to get used to if I were to be a soldier in his army."

Alex shook his head and sighed. "Do you still want to, knowing what a dirty job it is?"

"I do admit, it was kind of scary, but... If I were to help my father's kingdom, I will have to get used to it." Absyrtus said with certainty.

"Hmmm, I see." Alex muttered.

"Father told me it wasn't something that any person could get used to. However, he did say that it will get much once you experience it." Absyrtus explained.

"That does make some sense." Alex said as he thought back to the older man he killed. The once terrible feeling he had earlier, had gone down quite a bit as his mind began forgetting about it. Although, he knew that he will remember that moment for the rest of his life here, especially since that probably won't be the last person he kills while he's here.

He glanced up at the setting sun and noticed that it was getting late. Odd. Did he really spend that much time out here? "Perhaps you should head back inside. Your family might be worried if we don't head in soon."

Absyrtus nodded. "Right, it must be close to dinner time, and father will be upset if I'm late." He turned and began running back to the castle. "Come on! You don't want father angry, do you?"

Alex smiled. "No, of course not. I'll be right behind you." Absyrtus grinned and continued running back to the palace. Alex sighed and brought his hands out of his pockets before he spoke into the crisp air.

"Perhaps you can tell me just how long you've been stalking me?"

There was a rustle of leaves, and Kuro stepped out from behind a tree with an amused look on his face.

"At least I know that you're paying attention to your surroundings." Kuro said before he frowned. "I've been keeping my eye on you ever since you and Absyrtus entered the town. I saw what you did to those four men, by the way."

Alex winced and pressed his hands in his pocket. "I swear, it wasn't on purpose. I raised my hands, and the next thing I knew, my blade found its way to the man's heart."

Kuro quietly nodded. "How bad was it?"

"Terrible." Alex answered. "I could fell my blade sink into the man's flesh, and I could feel it when I pulled out. Perhaps, this is what I get for trying to be a fool."

"We all chose this on some naive dream of becoming heroes." Kuro admitted with a sad look. "Starting to doubt it a little, eh?"

"A little." Alex admitted. "Although, we're already here, so we might as well make the best of it."

Kuro nodded and turned his head to look at the castle. "You want me to keep your little matter a secret?"

Alex shook his head. "No. The others just need to know how dangerous this place is. This isn't a game that we're playing."

"Whatever you say." Kuro said as he began walking towards the castle. "Oh, and, take a break for a little while. You'll need some time to recover from that little incident."

Alex nodded gratefully. He knew what kuro was talking about. His mental state had taken a beating, and he probably needed a few days to calm his mind down. He didn't want to come down with a case of PTSD.

He followed Kuro back to the house and sighed as he felt his swords beneath his coat. They were still smeared in blood, and he would probably have to clean them before he stepped into the castle.

It would be pretty odd of him to stroll into the throne room with a set of bloodied blades.

* * *

Jin sighed as he sat in the garden in a meditative state. Several days ago, Kuro had explained to the group in private about what went down with Alex at the town. Ever since then, all of them had become more serious in their behavior. Even Luke, who has been known to have an extremely carefree personality, had been a little bit quiet as of late.

That was one thing he missed a little. Luke's cheerful personality was a positive influence on the rest of them. Even if it was kind of annoying sometime, it always kept them upbeat and positive. Without it, their group would have been a depressing piece of shit.

They had been doing their training much more frequently whenever they weren't on duty, and the results of that training was becoming apparently obvious. They did a set amount of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups, each day to strengthen their bodies, and raise their chakra levels. Chakra could be increased through physical training, or meditation., although it was a pretty slow process.

Currently, his chakra levels had grown considerably, but they were still not to the level of jounin. Perhaps a little bit in low-to-mid Chuunin zone. Either way, it was a much bigger improvement.

He snapped open his eyes when he felt the presence of someone entering the same area as him. He tilted his head slightly, and found Luke sitting up in a tree with a smile on his face.

"You're still meditating out here?"

Jin shrugged. "Yes, it's one of the more effective ways to build up my chakra."

"Are you really meditating? With your eyes closed, and your lack of movement, I would have assumed that you were sleeping the entire time." Luke teased with his playful look. Jin cracked a smile and stood up from the ground with a groan as he stretched his muscles.

"Damn, that felt good." Jin muttered as he stretched his back and was rewarded with a popping noise. "So why are you here, luke? Anyone need me for something?"

"Not really." luke admitted as he jumped off the tree and began twirling around one of the nearby dandelion patches. "Although, Medea was looking for you. She said she needed your help with something."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "She needs my help with something?" He paused in thought. "Did she mention what she needed help with?"

Luke shrugged before smiling coyly. "I don't know. Perhaps, she needs something her knight in shining armor needs."

Jin rolled his eyes and prevented himself from castrating his friends younger brother. It has become wildly known throughout the castle, that he was usually the bodyguard that was seen by Medea's side most often. Of course, being how weird people can be, multiple rumors have sprouted up that Medea was secretly having an affair with him and it was only a matter of time before they proposed to each other.

Jin had flat out rolled his eyes at such accusations while Medea literally exploded in fury and embarrassment for such heinous thinking. The rest of the group, along with Medea's siblings and father, thought it was hilarious and would constantly tease them about it. Of course, it did absolutely nothing to help calm Medea's embarrassment and anger.

He had to admit, he did find it a little bit cute when she got angry at such a ridiculous statement. The way her cheeks puffed out and her ears twitch upward when she was mad reminded him of a cat when it was afraid and puffed out it's tail.

"I do wish you would stop teasing me like that." Jin muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. "You know how Medea is. Even if you are a child, she'll still find a way to get her revenge on you."

Luke pouted. "She would never do that to me, she loves me too much."

Jin sighed at how true those words were. Medea seemed to have a strange fondness of children, or more specifically, little cute children. She wasn't some creepy teenager who went after kids younger than herself for strange sexual reasons. Rather, she was more interested on how to play dress up with them. There were several times that Luke had been 'abducted' by Medea and forced to endure the torture of trying on outfits like a barbie doll simply for Medea's amusement.

Instead of being annoyed to do something like that, Luke seemed to not be bothered by it at all. Odd, considering that most boys his age would rather die than spend an hour of their life trying out clothes on their mothers orders.

"Absyrtus doesn't let Medea play around with him when it comes to clothing. Now that she has her hands on Luke, she can satisfy her dressing fetish to her heart's content." Chalciope had said to him when they watched Luke play around in some clothes Medea had dressed him up in.

"Women." Jin thought with a shake of his head. "I'll never be able to understand them." He turned around and began heading off to find Medea. "I'll be back. In the meantime, why don't you try meditating?"

"Boooooring! I'd rather hang out with Desmond." Luke stated as he continued to twirl around the dandelion patches.

"Whatever. Just don't blame me if you can't pull your weight like the rest of us." Jin said with a teasing smile, earning another pouty look from the boy before he left the garden. He headed towards Medea's room, because that was the most likely place she would be inside the palace.

"Wonder what she's doing." Jin thought to himself as he reached Medea's door and gave several light taps. "Medea? You in there?" there was the sound of footsteps on the other side, before the door opened to reveal Medea in her usual purple road standing there with a smile on her face.

"Ah, jin. Just the person I wanted to see."

"Luke said you wanted to see me?" Jin asked as he peered inside of the room.

"Ah, yes, come in." Medea said as she held the door open courteously. Jin gave her a small nod before he stepped into the room. Once inside, he finally got a better view of what was inside.

It was everything a stereotypical witch's lair would be like. Her room was lit up with purple flames, along with hundreds of books and scrolls that were neatly organized in bookshelves in the corner of the room.

What caught his attention, though, was a large black cauldron that was sitting near the window. It was bubbling and rattling as the strange contents inside stirred around. He could only speculate at what was inside it, though.

"I've got to admit, this was exactly what I was expecting." Jin said as he looked around the room.

"Well, what else would you expect? I'm a magus, after all." Medea said with an amused smile as she stepped into the room.

"So what did you call me here, for?" Jin asked again.

"Oh, nothing really." Medea said nonchalantly as she strolled passed him and examined the contents of the pot.

"Oh? I have a hard time seeing you call me here without a reason." Jin said with a light smile. "Perhaps you could tell me the reason?"

Medea blushed a little, but it was barely recognizable thanks to the purple lights casted by the purple flames. "I just wanted you here to watch me work. It's always better to have someone comment on your work. I would grab father, but he's busy right now. Absyrtus and Chalciope are busy hanging out with your friends, so that leaves me with only you."

Jin chuckled and gave her a light pat on the head. "How considerate of you. Very well, show me what you've been working on. I'm sure i'll find it interesting since I've never seen alchemy up close before."

Medea smiled and straightened up confidently, determined to show him what she could do. She had to admit, it was exciting to have another person comment on her work besides her father.

"Well then, let me educate you in a proper lesson of alchemy."

* * *

 **That's it for this chapter. Took me a little while to make since homework and schoolwork take up so much of my time, but hey, what can I do about it? It's important.**

 **Anyways, I'm going to respond to 'He who seeks the joys in life' whose review I have found interesting**

 **Heroic spirits are exactly powerful super soldiers. People who can rarely be found anywhere in the twenty-first century, due to the fact that it was no longer in the 'age of the gods' and instead in, 'the age of man'. Some heroic spirits, are quite powerful and have extremely over powered abilities, while others simply have abilities that are not as powerful. Such as Hercules god hand, and Mata Hari's own noble phantasm, which is practically useless in comparison.**

 **If you were to pit heroic spirits against the Kage, it would basically all equivalent down to a game of rock paper scissors. Cu Chulainn could possibly kill Tsunade with his spear if he was able to strike her heart with his spear and kill her instantly since a heart pierced by Gae bolg can't be healed. However, Tsunade could kill a heroic spirit such as Lancealot, because he's one of the slower servants, and the fact that her super strength could cave his entire body in with a single strike.**

 **The Raikage could simply steam role anything in his way and I agree that no servant could possibly face him other than heroes with invulnerabilities like Herucles and Achilles. Even then, they are only delaying the inevitable because of the Raikage's speed and extreme strength.**

 **It's really tough to consider the heroic spirits who can kill the higher tier naruto characters, simply because all of their skills set and noble phantasms vary from one to another.**

 **And to be blunt, I'm not comparing them to Naruto, sasuke, and Madara. Those three are absolute beasts with the powers of the rinnegan combined with the chakra of Indra and Asura and could annihilate even Gilgamesh easily unless he pulls out Ea right off the bat which we know would never happen until it was too late.**

 **In short, I do think that some heroic spirits could give some of the higher tier characters a run for their money, but I also admit that naruto characters could also trample upon other heroic spirits.**

 **Lawrence Wu has also said that I should make my characters a little bit more relatable and to make them a little bit more mature. What better way to do that is to show them the horrors of killing up close and personal?**

 **Killing another human being is something no human being should have to go through, and it often leads people to have PTSD. Even trained military men sometimes breakdown or get scarred for life once they realize the ugly truth on what they have done.**

 **I do appreciate these kinds of reviews and I do find it very helpful. Having someone to comment on the flaws on my story does help me try to make it better. If you find any flaws in my story, don't hesitate to point it out. I'll try to fix it as soon as possible.**

 **That's all I wanted to say, see you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	5. The argo

Desmond looked at the mug in front of him silently as he spent his time in silent thought. He was currently on his break, and was curious on trying out the things the greeks did to pass the time. One of them, was drinking.

Originally, he was never allowed, by his mother, to never put his lips against the rim of a bottle that contained wine, beer, and any kind of alcohol beverage on earth. Of course, he understood where she was going with it, but he was still curious at what it was like.

Besides, his mom isn't around to stop him, is she?

King Aeetes was even generous enough to actually pay them a little bit of spending money to enjoy all of the pleasures that his kingdom had. Naturally, he happily took the money and found himself sitting in a quiet bar as it's only customer at the moment.

The bartender was a nice old man who seemed a little bit concerned that he was drinking, but he quickly folded when he promised that he would take only one drink.

He had taken several sips of the drink in front of him, and blinked several times when he felt the alcohol over him. After he was more than halfway done, he was starting to feel a little bit wobbly.

"Aye, you starting to feel it lass?" The old man asked with a chuckle as he watched Desmond groan and press his hand against his head.

"Yeah..." Desmond muttered as he began massaging his temple. "I know this is my first time, but is it seriously supposed to be like this?" The old man chuckled and began wiping the bar table with a small rag.

"It varies from different people. I've seen boys your age who can down several drinks without breaking a sweat. Perhaps you're just one of the few whose body isn't built for wine."

Desmond sighed. "Perhaps. Mother was always quite strict about what I put in my mouth."

"Smart woman." The man said as he took a seat across from him. "So perhaps you could tell me what you're doing here? Young men like you don't really come to a bar unless they're having a party."

Desmond shrugged. "I'm on my break, right now. King Aeetes was generous enough to give me a couple hours off."

"You work for King Aeetes? Are you a soldier?" The man questioned.

"I guess you could say that." Desmond said as he took another sip of his drink. "King Aeetes put me as one of his children's personal bodyguard."

"Oh my, the king's personal bodyguard for his children? You must be very strong to be trusted with his children's lives." The man said with a small smile on his face. "I've heard from many people think that his two daughters are absolutely beautiful. Perhaps you can manage to get one of them, eh?"

Desmond chuckled in response. "No, I don't really have any kind of feelings for them. I'm not sure about one of my partners, though." The old man's smile seemed to widen at that.

"Oh, to be young carefree, and have a head stuffed with wool." The old man sighed as he remembered the days when he was younger. "When I was younger, I used to be a foot soldier. I was pretty good at it, until I got old and could barely hold up a sword."

"Ah... don't be such a downer old man." Desmond said as he finished his drink. "Perhaps you could find a better job to do rather than being a simple bartender. How about being a scholar?"

"A scholar? That's not such a bad idea." The old man acknowledged with a stroke of his beard. "Perhaps that could pass the time. It'd sure beat sitting in this dirty old bar."

"Mmmmm." Desmond hummed as he carefully stood up on slightly wobbly legs. "Well then, thanks old man. The drink was a pretty interesting experience if I do say so myself." The old man chuckled and grabbed the mug before beginning to clean it with his rag.

"Do not mention it, young one. It is my job to serve drinks, after all." The man said with a smile. Desmond nodded and began heading towards the door slowly before the man called out to him again.

"Wait."

Desmond turned around and gave a confused look. "Hm? Do you need anything?"

"There is something that you should know." The man stated. Desmond was silent for a moment as the old man leaned across the table to make sure his words reached his ears clearly. Desmond leaned forward as well, since whatever the old man said would probably be important.

"There have been... rumors going around for the past few days." The man started. "Rumors say that a group of people will be arriving here soon by boat, and are perhaps looking for one of our more prized treasure."

Desmond frowned for a moment before his eyes widened. "You mean, The golden fleece?"

The man nodded. "Aye. I don't understand why they would go after the legendary fleece. Perhaps they want to use the Fleece's power to produce healthy agriculture from wherever they came from? Whatever the case is, I think it would be wise for the king to be informed of this if he already hasn't."

Desmond ran the thoughts through his head. Everyone who knew greek mythology, knew about the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. Jason was given the task of retrieving the golden fleece in exchange for his dominion of Thessaly, another famous kingdom in Greece. If the ship was coming here, then that would mean the start of Medea's downfall. Stories say that she was struck by an arrow shot by Eros (The god of love) and was bound to literally fall in love with the man at first sight.

He silently cursed to himself as he tried to think of a way around the situation. Besides the fact that Jason would stop at nothing to get the fleece, Medea's tragic story was caused by the work of Hera. Considering the crazy stuff that Hera does to get whatever she wants and her status as a goddess, this was going to make things a serious bitch for him.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as a plan formulated in his head. He gave a satisfied nod in thanks to the old man.

"Thank you for the information. I will tell king Aeetes at once." Desmond said with a small bow. The old man nodded and leaned back behind the desk.

"Then go, young one." The old man said. Desmond nodded and quickly left the bar with his plan floating around in his mind.

It was said that the Fate's were able to see into the future. That was certainly a useful ability, but Desmond didn't like it one bit. He would never allow Medea's original fate to come true. Even if he and the others were to face the wrath of a goddess, they wouldn't let the future set in stone to come to pass.

After all, human beings were tenacious when they put their minds to it. That kind of power, can control even something as powerful, as fate.

* * *

King Aeetes frowned at the startling piece of information he received. He had been going over some important reports with his favorite goblet of wine, when Desmond had bursted into the room with a grim look on his face.

After quickly cleaning the small stain on his clothing from his now-spilled wine, he demanded to know what was going on. Desmond began reporting about the information on the little rumor he had received from the old man in the bar.

Once he had finished speaking, Aeetes frowned and placed his hand under his chin. "If these rumors are true, then I can't just ignore this. Such a claim may send my citizens into a panic, and I can't have that."

The golden Fleece, while not one of his kingdoms most prized treasures, was by far the most well known. It had powerful nature magic that transformed the land around it into a flourishing field of agriculture. Even if the Fleece were to be removed from the land, the effects will still linger. However, handing it over to several people on a boat who demanded it for unknown reasons wouldn't sit well with the public to simply give up one of their treasures.

"...Perhaps we should figure out where they came from?" Desmond suggested.

"They could have come from anywhere." Aeetes said.

"Then perhaps Alex should be allowed to confront them." Desmond said with a smirk as he raised his blade. "If they want the Fleece so badly, they will have to get through him for it."

Aeetes gave him an incredulous look. "You intend to send Alex alone confront them by himself?"

"Think of it like a little test. He won't just hand over the Fleece to them if he finds their reasons to be unjustifiable. If he finds their reason good enough, he will accompany them with the Fleece on their journey to wherever they came from. Besides, I won't send him alone, I'll go with him."

Aeetes frowned. "Are you sure of this? We don't have any knowledge of these people's skill or abilities. Messing with them without a little bit of information will be dangerous and fool-heartedly."

"Don't worry so much." Desmond said with a small wave. "Alex isn't someone who will back down from anything, no matter how dangerous it is. Besides, he might need a little bit more time to... Recuperate."

Aeetes sighed sadly at that. He knew the boys mental physique had taken a huge blow after he killed one of those men who attempted to assault his son. Fortunately, he seems to have gotten past it after several days of silence.

Since it was Alex's first time performing a kill or seeing death in front of his face, he assumed that the others hadn't seen death either. He couldn't have his bodyguards in that type of condition, so he took the rest of the boys, even luke, to watch the execution of several new batches of criminals that had committed high treason against his kingdom. They watched silently, as each of the men were struck down by the executions sword. Surprisingly, all of them showed nothing more than flinching and a slight widening of their eyes as they processed what just happened. They even went a little bit silent for the rest of the day, but they seemed to be getting past it the next day.

He did this, not just because he didn't want them to freeze up when protecting his children, but because he felt some kind of fatherly bond towards them, as well. Even for the few days he knew them, he already found himself thinking of them as his sons. Perhaps it was because they spent so much time around his children.

"Do you believe he's fit for this task?" Aeetes asked.

Desmond nodded his head. "He's the only one of us who has ever actually killed someone and experience it at the same time. I'd say he's the most fit of us to do the job. I'll just be there as extra help." Aeetes was quiet for a moment before he nodded.

"Alright, I will defer to your judgement on this. However, if anything goes wrong, the people will be looking for someone to blame." Aeetes warned.

"Perhaps, but I have a feeling this will go off without a problem." Desmond said confidently.

"Then go and tell alex the news. He will have to prepare for such an audacious task." Aeetes said. Desmond bowed respectfully, and left the room quickly to go find Alex. He headed towards Alex's room, since it was the most likely room he would be in.

He arrived at the door, and casually knocked twice on the door. At the other end, a voice called out. "Come in."

Desmond opened the door, and found Alex sitting up in the bed with a tired look on his face. His hair was messed up and ragged, and his eyes were droopy, like he had just woke up from a 7 hour nap.

"Have you been sleeping the entire day?" Desmond asked with an amused smile. Alex shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

"No, I was working out for a little while in the garden with Kuro. I just came here to get a little R&R for a little while, you know?" Alex said as he leaned back in the bed.

"I see."

"So what are you doing here? Something go down while I was asleep?"

Desmond sighed and leaned in close. "The arognauts are coming."

Alex frowned. "You mean Jason?"

"Yeah, and you know what happens if he's allowed to land here." Desmond said grimly. Alex's expression suddenly turned serious as he realized the dangers if Jason managed to set a single foot in the castle.

"I'm assuming you have a plan?'

Desmond nodded. "i've already told Aeetes, and he's agreed to go through with it. The plan is to simply give them the Fleece, but he wants you to test them first in a simple duel. If they pass, you are instructed to go with them with the Fleece to watch over it."

Alex frowned. "Wait, so he wants me to go with them? What about my position as a bodyguard?"

"The others can take care of that. Also, I will come with you as extra backup." Desmond said with a light smile. Alex seemed to be a little bit put off about being sent away, but he seemed to relent once he realized he wouldn't be alone.

"Alright, fine... When do we start?" Alex asked with a sigh.

"For starters, we already know the Arognauts are going to come from the harbor. We will meet up with them there, and settle things away from the castle. No matter what, we can't let Medea ever lay her eyes on Jason right now." Desmond said.

"Kinda figured that out." Alex muttered.

"Should this fail, we're going to have to resort to other methods." Desmond said grimly.

"What kind of methods?" Alex asked with narrowed eyes.

"Ones that I don't feel comfortable doing." Desmond replied. "Now, let's get prepared. For all we know, Jason could get here tonight or in a few days."

"Alright, I'll go get the Fleece." Alex said as he crossed his hands and vanished in a puff of smoke. Desmond coughed and waved his hand to blow the leftover smoke out of the way.

"Damn smoke."

* * *

The Argo.

A ship that was under the protection of Hera and was consecrated by Posideon. One would say that the beautiful vessel looked like it was fit made by Hephaestus himself in his forges.

A blond haired man was staring in excitement as he saw the kingdom of Colchis from his position on the ship. To all those who would hear about him in the future, he was Jason of the Argonauts, and right now, he was a man on a mission for a very particular item.

The golden fleece.

Why? His bastard uncle, Pelias, had forced him on this journey to gather the valuable treasure of Colchis. In return for completing such a task, he would rightfully replace his uncle as the leader of Thessaly.

Now that he was here, all that he had to do was convince the king to hand over the Fleece over to him. He'd prefer to do this peacefully, because while he deserves the kingdom of Thessaly, he wouldn't deal with unnecessary bloodshed.

Besides, after he was handed the throne, he would rightfully return the Fleece back to Colchis as a sign of goodwill. He didn't want their two kingdoms to wage war on each other, after all.

"How should we go about this, jason?" A huge buff man asked as he observed the shores. "Should we keep our weapons ready? We don't know if these people know of us or not."

Jason shook his head. "They see us raise our weapons, and they'll take that as an act of war and respond in kind." The man grunted in acknowledgement and just continued to survey the harbor with a strange look.

"Do you feel it?"

Jason frowned. "Feel what?"

"The nature energy, it's much stronger here than anywhere else."

Jason closed his eyes and concentrated. Indeed, he could feel the nature energy rolling across the land. By far, this was the strongest nature energy he's ever felt, and it was probably because of the Fleece.

"Hm, you are right, Hercules. I should have noticed it, Chiron did drill me to sense nature, but I've never been good at it."

The greatest greek hero who has ever lived, smirked. "The old teacher always has been touchy about nature. Considering how much he talks about taking care of it, I'm surprised he hasn't manage to knock it into you."

"Probably the reason why I always had to do those extra exercises." Jason sighed as he remembered his days with his old teacher. The centaur was the closest thing he had to a father, and it made him a little bit sorrowful to leave him to start his own quest for his kingdom. He was so tense with anticipation, his body looked like it was going to be that way forever if he didn't find something to make him calm down.

"Relax." Hercules said with an amused smile. "Perhaps this will be a quick and easy ordeal, and you won't have any trouble along the way."

Jason snorted. "Do you really believe the king will simply hand over the Fleece willingly?"

Hercules shrugged. "Just a little confidence booster. Considering all of the other challenges we have faced on this journey, snagging the Fleece should be a cakewalk."

"One can only hope." Jason said as the boat neared the harbor. The sun had already set, and the streets were now mostly vacant of activity. "We'll wait until tomorrow to talk to the king. Tell the men to pull up into the harbor and rest up for the night."

Hercules nodded and relayed his order to the other men, who simply nodded wordlessly as they continued to row the ship into the harbor. Waking the king up to ask him for one of his most sacred treasure wouldn't really be a good first impression.

"It's much more beautiful up close. Perhaps, it's the Fleece's magic at work." Hercules said as he felt the magical nature energy get stronger as they pulled into the harbor.

"Atalanta's probably loving this sensation." Jason said as he stole a glance at the only female member in his entire crew. She had a cross between green and gold hair, and she wore a green dress that showed off her athletic figure. While most of the men may not admit it, Atlanta was one of the strongest among them, just barely above Meleager and below Hercules himself. Jason wished that he could've been just as strong as her or the other members of the crew for that matter. Even after his training with Chiron, he wasn't much of a fighter. The reason he was made the leader of this group, was the fact that he could do much better in brains rather than brawn.

"Perhaps we can take her along with us to see the king?" Hercules suggested. Atalanta was someone who couldn't stay still when something important is happening nearby. Probably her feral instincts taking over.

"That would be a good idea. Knowing her, she'll be wandering around exploring, anyway." Jason said as the ship finally docked into the harbor. The crew began moving around the ship as they prepared to anchor it in place to prevent it from drifting off. Once they finished, most of the crew headed below deck to go get themselves drunk or sleep after such a long journey. The only member who didn't go below deck, was Atalanta, and she seemed pretty content to not follow them anyway.

"Are you not going to join them?" Hercules asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't stand it down there." The huntress responded. "I'd much rather stay up here with nature." She turned to jason. "I trust you don't have a problem with this?"

Jason shrugged. "Do as you please, I understand your reason." Originally, he was a little bit hesitant to include Atalanta among his crew, since having one female among 40 other men would surely cause trouble. In the end, he couldn't deny that her strengths as a huntress would be helpful among his group, so he decided to include her.

"Thank you." Atalanta said before she frowned. "This energy... it's getting closer."

"The fleece?" Jason questioned as he looked around. "Is it nearby?"

"yes." Hercules confirmed as he looked around. "however, it seems like it's being moved. The energy is fluctuating from different places, which means that someone is moving it around."

"Can you tell where they're going?" Jason asked as he looked around. He was pretty sure the fleece was supposed to be guarded by a dragon, and he didn't see any dragon out here.

"It seems they're coming..." Atalanta's eyes widened "Over there!"

Hercules and Jason turned their heads, and widened their eyes in surprise as they saw two males sitting on a nearby bench casually with a golden object hung over the sides of one of the men's soldier.

The golden fleece.

The second they had pin pointed the two men, their eyes looked up to meet them. It was almost as if they were waiting for them to finally notice them. One of the boys raised his hand and made a small gesture.

"Seems like he wants to talk to us." Hercules stated. The giant made several gestures back, and the two males nodded before they got up and began walking off.

"What did you say?" Jason asked.

"I said that we will follow them once we get our bearings." Hercules said before he turned to Atalanta. "Do you think this is some sort of trap?"

The huntress shook her head. "The Fleece was real. No one can replicate a magical item like that perfectly and not die in the progress. Although, it does seem strange that they would only send two men to face us."

"Perhaps they underestimate us?" Jason suggested.

"Doubtful." Hercules said as he stared off in the direction the teens had gone. "The king who rules this place isn't an idiot or a fool. We must be careful of these two young men."

"Should the three of us just go and meet up with them?

"That would be wise." Atlanta said as she slung her bow across her back. "Sending everyone out just to meet two men would surely cause a bunch of unease."

"Then it's settled, let's go get what we came here for." Jason said as he began dismounting the ship. Hercules and Atlanta followed behind him silently as they headed off in the same direction they saw the two teens went.

* * *

 **Hey guys, finally managed to get this chapter out.**

 **For those of you who may or may not know, Atalanta was a huntress that was known for the three golden apples, and the slaying of the Calydonian boar. There have been speculation as to if she ever traveled with the Argonauts, but there were some sources that say she did. If you look her character up in the type-moon-wiki, you'll see it says she traveled with the Argonauts, so that's why I decided to include her here.**

 **There are also some stories about Hercules that say he left the Argonauts halfway through their journey after he went searching for his servant, Hyla. There are also some stories that said he stayed. It was kind of hard to choose which side of the stories I should pick, but I ended up choosing the one where Hercules ended up staying.**

 **Why? Well, I feel like his role in the anime is sort of... lacking. All he does is rampage around, and let loose growls and roars without ever speaking once except for the route where Saber and Shirou kill him with a copy of Caliburn. It doesn't really sit well with me that the most well known hero of Greece would be reduced to nothing more than a giant whose simple purpose is to just hulk smash everything in his way without even talking to others.**

 **Then again, that's just my opinion.**

 **(Update. I checked up on the type-moon-wiki, and indeed found Jason's entry. Apparently he was the weakest among the Argonauts, which is pretty strange considering he was the leader. Special thanks to Lawrence Wu for pointing that out.)**

 **Anyways, it's getting late, and I really need to get some sleep.**

 **I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	6. Testing 1,2,3

Jason's first thought upon seeing the two men was that they were mysterious. Their cloaks had patterns he had never seen before, and they didn't appear to be holding onto any weapons that he knew of.

Slung over one of the men's shoulder, was the Golden Fleece itself in all of its glory. Even at night, it radiated a golden aura that illuminated the darkness around it.

The two men didn't seem to be radiating any kind of hostility. In fact, they seemed to be quite chill about the fact that there were three warriors in front of them who were looking to take the Fleece for some unknown reasons.

Hercules didn't seem to look like he was going to go around swinging his fists around at the two men in front of him, but he seems to be on guard.

Atlanta's hand was drifting in between her bow, and a quiver of arrows that she had strapped to her back. When it came to the quick draw, she was insanely fast, and would put arrows straight through both of the teens heart's if they even made a single move towards them.

Seeing as these two teens were holding the artifact he sought for, he decided to go with the most simple of greetings in an effort to establish a calming conversation between them.

"Hello." Atalanta and Hercules shot him an incredulous look at how casually his first choice of words were. Whatever they were expecting, 'Hello' was definitely not one of them.

"Perhaps I should have used another word." Jason thought to himself as he shot his companions a sheepish look. To his surprise, the two teens didn't seem to be put off or bother by it at all.

"Sup." The teen holding the Fleece replied. Atalanta and Hercules snapped their attention back to the two teens in front of them, and were equally surprised at how casual the teen was acting.

"... Roll with it." Jason thought before he cleared his throat. "I am Jason of the Argonauts, and I have come here with a very important task."

The teen's just stared at him and shrugged. "We know about your little group. Rumors of your travels have reached our little kingdom, and have been spreading like wild fire." He gestured to the city. "It's not exactly sitting well with people, you know? They think we're being raided or something like that."

Jason rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Ah... It's not like that, we don't intend to sack your kingdom."

"Hm." The teen said before he gestured to his companion. "My name is Alex, and the guy sitting besides me is Desmond. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jason."

"Hello." Desmond said simply as he laid back against the bench. Alex eyed his two companions and tilted his head. "May I know your names, please? It kind of feels awkward having a conversation without knowing your names."

Hercules shrugged and gave a small bow. "I am Hercules, son of lord Zeus himself."

"No wonder." Desmond said with a slight nod of acknowledgement. "I've never seen someone of your figure or stature. Is it something you got from your godly parent?"

Hercules smiled. This was the first time someone didn't throw themselves at his feet at the mention of his heritage. Having your father as the king of the god's was sometimes very annoying when that's all that people ever respected you for. "I'm pretty sure although I can't say for certain, I've never met my father in person."

"Ah... I see." Desmond said before he turned to Atalanta. "And who are you, Ma'am?"

Atalanta seemed to like being addressed with respect. "I am the huntress Atalanta, if you say anything bad about me being a woman, I won't hesitate to put an arrow between your eyes."

Desmond and Alex shivered a little at that threat. Atalanta sounded like she was dead serious and would probably go through with the order even if Jason asked her to stop. Something they had already expected from the Chaste Huntress.

It was surprising and cool to meet such famous historical figures face to face, but they were a little bit different from legend. For one, wasn't Hercules supposed to be gone by that point? And wasn't Atalanta not allowed on the Argo simply because Jason decided that having a female among his group would be bad since having a bunch of hormone infested men surrounding a single woman would probably be very disastrous.

Hercules voice was also very surprising. Instead of having incoherent mumbles, groans, and roars to convey his speech, he instead had a very gentlemanly voice that seemed like it would fit very well with a British servant.

After introductions had been made, Jason decided to cut to the chase. "So... why are you two here? I would hope that you would be willing to lend us the fleece peacefully, but that would seem too good to be true."

Alex chuckled. "We're just here on King Aeetes orders. He wants to keep this as quiet as possible, so he sent his most trusted men." Alex leaned in and put on a serious face. "Tell me, why do you desire the Golden Fleece? A man like you should have a reason."

Jason sighed as he heard the question. He didn't feel really comfortable talking about it, and it made him sound like a greedy bastard, but he had no choice. His prize to kingship was in front of his eyes and within his grasp.

"I was sent here by my father Pelias, the king of Thessaly." Jason began. At the mention of his father, the two teens suddenly had gained a pitiful look.

"Geez, your father is Pelias? That must seriously suck for you." Desmond commented. Out of the corner of his eyes, jason could see hercules and Atalanta's mouths twitch as they threatened to smile at such a remark. Normally, that would offend an ordinary person, but he couldn't have agreed more with their statement.

"You have absolutely no idea. He tried to kill me when I was born because he didn't want to give up his throne of power over the people. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to run him through with a sword, but that wouldn't look good with my people." Jason said with obvious distate.

"So I'm guessing he sent you here, hoping you would die along they way?" Alex asked. Jason nodded his head.

"My father is despicable, so when he realized I had come to take the throne like I was meant to, he gave me the task of retrieving the Golden Fleece and taking it to him in exchange for my kingship." Jason explained.

"So you intend to use the Fleece as a bargaining chip for your kingdom, correct?" Desmond asked.

Jason shrugged. "That's a simple way of putting it, but yes. Father doesn't care for his people, but rather, he simply cares about his power. I can't simply sit by after hearing from my mom some of the things father has done."

Desmond and Alex winced a little at how Jason described his father. Even when he said 'father', it sounded like it was the worse possible word he could think of. They knew that politics was a dirty bussiness, but this was seriously going low. Sending your own son in a quest that could most likely end up with him dying just so you could hold onto your throne was despicable.

Definitely not a number one parent.

"So you're doing this all for your own kingship?" Alex questioned.

Jason sighed. "I admit, it sounds a little bit selfish, but I can't stand having my father sitting on his throne while he takes advantage of his people. Being his son only makes me dislike him more." Rumors and stories of his father had been spreading across the kingdoms, and has soured his reputation. Quite frankly, he'd be damned if he was only remembered as that greedy bastard's son.

Jason watched as Alex and Desmond looked at each other and enter a silent conversation that envolved a lot of eye contact and minor gesturing. After a few moments of intense glaring, they finally turned back to Jason.

"Your story sounds very justifiable, and you don't seem to be lying about what you've said." Desmond acknowledged as he gestured to the fleece. "We've found your cause worthy of the fleece. Rejoice, you have finally gotten what you've been searching for."

Jason let out a breath he had been holding. He did it, all the sacrifices to reach this point was not in vain. Although, he admited that he was a little bit disappointed. He was expecting to do some really hard task instead of simply telling his story, but he wasn't going to complain.

"What am I going to do when I get home?" Jason thought to himself, giddy with excitement. "Oh! I know. First, I'll walk up to dad and slap him across his smug prick face. That will teach him not to be such a jackass all the time."

Jason inwardly giggled to himself before remembering that he should probably thank the two young men infront of him. He quickly got down on his knees and lowered his head in respect.

"Thank you for being so understanding. I promise, as soon as I've ascended the throne, I will return the Fleece back to its rightful owners." Jason said.

"Don't get so excited." Alex said with an amused smile as he stood up. "We still need to lay down a few ground rules for you." Jason frowned and lifted his head up.

"What are your terms?" Jason asked.

"First off, king Aeetes asked us to go along with you. Think of us as a sort of bodyguards to make sure nothing happens to the Fleece." Desmond explained. "I trust that there is still more from on your ship?"

Jason nodded, glad that this was reasonable so far. "Yes, that won't be a problem."

"Second, I desire a little duel with Hercules over there to entertain me a little. I don't really get to fight anyone on my level besides Desmond and a few others, so it would be a good experience to fight against someone different." Alex said.

"That can also be done for you, assuming Hercules is up to the challenge." Jason said before he turned to the giant. "Are you fine with this?"

Hercules had a smile planted on his face that showed he was getting excited. Usually, the only thing that could get him worked up like this was food, and fighting. Considering that one of those options were given to him, it was not surprising.

"I could never back down from a challenge." Hercules said with confidence as he flexed his muscles.

"When will this little bout take place?" Atalanta asked. She looked a little bit miffed about not being picked as an opponent, but she couldn't blame them. If you put her next to Hercules, it was plainly obvious who is the most dangerous threat by sight alone.

"Right here." Desmond said as he took the Fleece from Alex and slung it over his shoulder. "It's already late, and no one should be walking around at this time."

"What if we wake them up?" Hercules pointed out.

"Then they'll get to see a wonderful spectacle." Alex said without pause. "Especially after they see me beat you into the pavement."

"Oh, you are just asking to be smashed into a grease spot." Hercules growled out. Although, Jason could catch a hint of respect in his voice. Hercules was an unmovable wall of muscle that would scare all but the bravest of men. They would tremble in fear once they laid their eyes upon him, but this man was standing steadfast and calm as he observed his opponent.

In truth, Alex was a little bit worried. The man in front of him wasn't the most famous hero in Greece for nothing. His arms were as big as tree trunks, and he looked like a beast staring down it's prey as they thought of the many possibilities on how to crush their food.

In the anime, contrary to his size, Hercules was actually incredibly fast to the point of being able to easily keep up with king Arthur herself, who was barely able to reach his waist. It was also said that he was a great archer, but he didn't seem to have a bow with him. Instead, a huge stone sword was strapped to his back that had jagged edges like it had been used recently.

It was way too big and thick to be called a sword, but rather a terrifyingly huge stone club. It was way to heavy, and it's grip was way too big to fit in the hands of an ordinary man, but when Hercules drew it off his back, it seemed to fit perfectly within his grasp.

There was also the fact that Hercules had a strong mind. Even in a blood rage, he was still able to react accordingly to attacks and recognize if one is dangerous to him. As such, he couldn't expect the man to start slipping up because he was angry.

"Perhaps you could fight Atalanta? She may be weaker than me, but she's still a formidable warrior." Hercules suggested although it sounded more like a taunt. Atalanta had a flash of annoyance cross her face at that statement. She was weaker than Hercules by a far margin in terms of durability and strength, but her skill with a bow and speed outstripped his.

Alex shrugged. "I believe that, but i'd rather deal with someone who favors the same kind of weapon I do." He shot Atalanta an apologetic look. "Sorry, but perhaps later?"

Atalanta was silent for a moment as she considered the offer. After a moment, she gave a small nod.

"Later, it is." The huntress said. Jason saw the small amount of displeasure in her eyes, but she didn't seem to make any effort to draw her bow. Odd, since the usual routine when someone denied her a fight was to get an arrow stuck into their forehead.

Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from this man.

"Thank you." Alex said with a small smile before he turned back to Hercules. "Now, I do hope you won't accidentally kill me with those huge muscles of yours. It wouldn't do for me to die in my home territory."

Hercules shrugged. "I'll try not too. Unfortunately, I get excited during the heat of battle and can't really control my own strength."

"If you die, we're going to have to get someone else to take your place!" Desmond joked, earning an annoyed look from Alex.

"Hey now... don't think too lightly of me." Alex grumbled as his twin swords flew out of his sleeves and into his hands. "Besides, it would be shameful of me to die in my home territory."

Hercules frowned when he saw the weapons. "You're going to fight me with those toothpicks?"

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." Alex retorted as he slowly began moving into a combat stance. "Now, raise your sword, lest this battle be a short one."

"Bah." Hercules grumbled as he slung his club off his back and swung it around, showing off his strength. "It's usually me who says that, but it seems that the tables have turned. This may prove interesting yet."

There was silence for a moment as the two figures stared each other down. Everything was quiet, and even the owls stopped their hooting to watch the building tension between them.

Then, as if a flood gate had been opened, both of them bursted into action.

Jason and Atalanta felt their eyes widen in surprise at the display of power in front of them. At first glance, the young man's approach to combat seemed to be based on speed and quick strikes instead of power, due to the lack of armor and the small swords.

To their surprise, the man seemed to be no slouch when it came to the power department, evident by the fact that he managed to push Hercules back during their first exchange of blades, albeit with a little effort.

"Hm? Hercules grumbled as he swung his club and found it blocked by the swords. "Perhaps i'm taking this young man a little too lightly?" The giant thought as he began putting a little bit more force into each swing.

"Tch." Alex grunted in annoyance as he soon found that it was beginning to take more effort to deflect the blows Hercules sent his way. While he didn't have the strength to match Hercules, his chakra gave him just enough power to trade blows with him.

Hercules swung his club, forcing Alex to crouch under the blow. He felt the hair on his head stand up as the speed and power of the swing created a blade of wind that left marks on the bark of some of the nearby trees.

He dodged another strike and sent a strike of his own towards the giant's thigh, but found it blocked as Hercules blocked the blow with his club in an impossibly fast manner as he drew back it back in the middle of his own strike.

Alex broke away, and quickly jumped up high to send a kneed straight to Hercule's face. To his surprise, Hercules quickly bent back and dodged the blow at the last second. Alex's eyes widened as he saw Hercules bring his fist up to meet him mid-air. He twisted, and felt the fist streak past his ear as he narrowly avoided having his head launched off his shoulders.

Hercules let out a grunt of surprise as he watched in a stunned manner as Alex wrapped his legs around his arm and hung there like a monkey before sending three punches towards his face.

Hercules frowned as he felt himself being pelted by the blows. Due to having the pinnacle of Human body and strength, the blows that were meant to break his nose and put him into a daze, did nothing more than irritate him. It was like being bothered by a fly that kept landing on your skin no matter how many times you swatted at it.

Growing tiresome of the pest hanging from his arm, he brought his other arm around to slap Alex off of him.

"Shit!" Alex cursed as he untangled himself from the giants arm. Unfortunately, he was too slow, and had to bring his arms up as he was swatted away. The force of the blow sent him skidding across the pavement.

He rolled and got up to his feet in time to see Hercules running towards him with his club hanging by his side. In response, Alex hefted one of his swords and threw it like a throwing knife.

Surprised by such a bold move, Hercules couldn't bring his club up fast enough to block it. The sword entered his right arm, and he gave no indication of feeling it other than a slight wince.

"He wounded him?" Jason said incredulously as he looked at the sword sticking out of Hercules's arm. "I never thought that was possible..."

"An extremely bold, but surprising move." Atalanta said blankly although there was a hint of respect laced into her voice. "Hercules's entire body is all tightly packed muscle that acts like a thick layer of armor. It would take an extremely well fined weapon to pierce it."

Desmond remained silent as he watched Hercules pull the tiny sword sticking out of his arm without effort and flicked it away with his finger as if he was flicking a booger. Indeed, while the knife may have pierced the man's skin, the wound was still too shallow to actually hinder him in any way.

Without his God hand ability, he didn't have the ability to revive himself or tank attacks as easily, but he was still just as formidable without it. Indeed, it even seemed like he is more formidable without his extra lives to back him up because he wouldn't charge in head on without thinking first. He had one of the highest divinity of this era, but he still had a human body that can die like any other one.

Desmond glanced at the discarded sword. The twin lightning swords were said to have been the two most sharpest swords ever created, at least, that's what the Naruto wiki said. It was no wonder that it was able to pierce the demigod's skin.

However, the twin blades were weak when it came to defense and it seemed to be taking all of Alex's willpower to not get blown away by the sheer force of Hercules's massive strength.

Still, it was said that Hercules not only carried a club, but a bow in which he used to slay the Hydra.

"...Does hercules have any other weapons?" Desmond asked.

"A bow, but he left it back at the ship since it wasn't his preferred weapon." Jason admitted as he continued to keep his eyes fixed on the death match in front of him. "Perhaps if he brought it along, things could have taken a different turn."

"Perhaps, but he's still mediocre at best." Atalanta said as she plucked at her bowstring. Desmond frowned at that but didn't question the huntress. She probably knew what she was talking about.

When he turned back to the battle, he found Hercules and Alex panting heavily as they caught their breath. On Hercules's face was a joyful expression that conveyed excitement.

"Most excellent! It has been a while since I've felt the rush of a real battle! You are truly a worthy opponent!" Hercules applauded.

"As are you, it is quite different to fight someone of your stature." Alex said as he tucked his sword back into his cloak. "How about we call it a night? I'm beat, and I don't think we should make anymore noise out here."

Hercules nodded and strapped his club back to his back. "I agree, it has been a very long day for me, and I desire some rest. Jason, let us take our guests back to the ship to properly welcome them to the rest of the crew."

Jason nodded. "I agree, it is the least we can do." He turned to Alex and smiled. "I trust you won't mind sleeping at the bottom of the ship? It does tend to rock a little along the waves."

Alex shook his head. "No, we don't have any problem with that. As long as it has a bed, we should be fine."

"Great! Follow us, Alex, Desmond, we will introduce you to our crew!" Jason exclaimed proudly as he wandered off back to the ship with Hercules lumbering besides him. Desmond shot Alex a small nod before following after them.

Alex sighed and went to retrieve his remaining blade. He scooped it off the ground and placed it back inside of his robe along with its twin. When he looked up, he noticed Atalanta staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"Hm? Is there something wrong?" Alex questioned.

"No, it's just that I've never seen anyone who can go toe to toe with Hercules for as long as you did. Not even the second best spearman on the Argo could push him that far." Atalanta said.

"Ah... Perhaps I'm just lucky." Alex said with an embarrassed look, earning a small smile from the woman.

"You think lightly of yourself." Atalanta pointed out before she sighed. "To be honest, you're nothing like I was expecting you to be. I was expecting you to be snarky and look down on me just because I was a woman like most of the unruly men i've met."

Alex shrugged. "Man, woman, all the same to me. Only difference between us is anatomy. Other than that, a woman can do things a man can do. Probably even better in some aspects."

"Interesting... A man who doesn't look down on women? Perhaps Lady Artemis would get along with him, assuming she doesn't turn him into a cantalope like those other men." Atalanta thought before she turned around. "Come, young man. It's getting late, and I'm starting to get tired of standing out here."

"Young man?" Alex echoed with a frown. "Please, just call me Alex, I don't really like those formal titles all that much."

Atalanta was silent before she nodded. "Very well. Please, follow me, Alex." The huntress resumed her walking, leaving Alex to sigh and shake his head with her lone wolf behavior.

"Beautiful and catty, just like a wild beast." Alex muttered to himself as he jogged after her.

* * *

 **Finally got this chapter out! I've been spending more and more time playing Halo 5, and have been getting a little bit sidetracked from my stories. Although, can you blame me? Halo is a pretty awesome franchise.**

 **It was kind of tough for me to come up on how Hercules would be able to fight. Since this is before he finished all of his labors, he hasn't received his extra lives yet. Thus, making him way easier to kill.**

 **But even without his lives, he's still a force to be reckoned with. If he is able to fight with incredible form under the effects of mad enhancement, just what do you think he could do without mental interference?**

 **Anyways, don't expect me to just focus on Alex and Desmond for the next few chapters. I'll also try to keep a good balance between my Oc's. After all, there's a lot of things that went on in Greece that I could import into my story.**

 **Until next time, Baloshua out!**


	7. Godly satellites

The crew members of the Argo were exactly what Alex and Desmond had pictured in their minds. For one, they acted like stereotypical pirates, shouting random gibberish, and drinking from mugs of wine.

Surprisingly, most of them seemed to be pretty reasonable guys. There were the sons of Boreads, Calais and Zetes. They were men who had small angel wings on their back which Alex assumed was not just for show.

There was also Orpheus, a famous musician and poet that carried a small harp with him wherever he went. It was a little bit awkward to stand around him because his entire personality screamed 'Gay!' To the two teens.

They didn't mind gay people, but this man just made them really... Uncomfortable. The way he looked at them didn't help to comfort them either.

After meeting most of the crew, they followed Atalanta down the ship to their new living quarters. Jason and Hercules left to go party, leaving Atalanta to show the, their room.

Surprisingly, the huntress didn't seem to mind, and she even felt relieved to find an excuse to get out of there.

"Guess you're not a party animal." Alex commented as he followed Atalanta down the steps.

Atalanta frowned. "I can't really deal with all that noise. It's too loud, and don't even get me started on their behavioral issues."

They couldn't really blame her with those valid points. The men upstairs were absolutely crazy when it came to partying. Having to deal with yelling, drinking, and crazy table games would make any normal person want to leave as soon as possible.

"How do you even deal with them?" Desmond asked.

"Jason was kind enough to let everyone know that I value my own personal space. As a huntress, I don't really follow anyone's orders except my own, or that of my patron goddess, Artemis."

"So you're a lone wolf." Alex summarized.

Atalanta nodded. "I've never really met with anyone who could be a suitable hunting partner. Besides, working with others is something i'm not really used to doing."

"You're not a people's person, are you?" Desmond asked.

"Not really." Atalanta admitted with a small sad smile. "When I was young, my father abandoned me in the mountains near Arcadia. I would have died alone if lady Artemis hadn't taken pity on me."

"Ouch..." Alex muttered. "Seems like lots of people here have parental issues."

"To be fair, it was my father who wanted to throw me away. He was the king of Arcadia, and wanted a son to be able to take over his throne when he passed on to Hades. My mother, however, pleaded with him to keep me. Sadly, he was too angry to honor her request. Ever since then, I've never been to Arcadia ever again."

"Do you think your father regrets what he did?" Desmond asked.

Atalanta shrugged. "I don't know. He's a very strict man, and I highly doubt he remembers me. For all I know, he probably erased me from his memory and is already having more kids in hope of siring a son. I'm probably just a long distant memory, now."

"Do you hate him for what he did to you?" Alex asked.

"Hate?" Atalanta echoed. "Hm... No, not really. To be honest, I personally don't care. If he hadn't left me on the mountain to die, I wouldn't have become who I was today. Although, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit hurt by what he did."

"Oh... Well, sorry for asking." Alex muttered apologetically when he saw the expression on her face. He wasn't really used to dealing with women. Especially if they were vicious ones like Atalanta.

To his surprise, a tiny smiled formed at the corner of her lip. "I don't see what you should be sorry about. I'm not really troubled by my past, It's just something I've dealt with and moved on from."

"Ah... We're just a little bit worried about offending you." Desmond admitted. "Dealing with women is something me and Alex have absolutely no experience in. Forgive us if we were being a little bit rude to ask for such privy information."

"Like I said, it's not really anything special, and it's not something that would make me put an arrow through your head." Atalanta said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Besides, you two aren't exactly like most men. You haven't treated me differently just because I am a woman, and you're nothing like some of the pigs upstairs. To be honest, you're one of the few men who I'm able to actually talk to without facing some aggression."

"I'm guessing the men upstairs aren't really happy with you being here?" Alex asked.

"Yes. As men, it would be insulting to have a woman fight alongside them. To them, a woman was someone who stays home, looks after the kid, do chores, and make babies. A woman who can fight is such a strange concept, that most of the men would have rather kicked me off the ship instead of letting me stay. In the end, it was only jason's words that managed to convince the crew to let me join."

They remained silent after that. Atalanta may be a very tough woman with the heart of a tiger, but she was still like any other person deep down. Even if she may deny that she doesn't really mind her past, there were some buttons that really shouldn't be pushed. When dealing with women, that kind of advice should be taken to heart.

Atalanta stopped in front of a plain wooden door and pushed it open. Inside, the cabin was actually pretty decent. There wasn't much furniture inside other than two beds and a small lamp with a miniature flame sparking inside, illuminating the room.

"This is where you two will be staying. It's not fancy or anything, but it's still liveable." Atalanta said as she kicked the side of the nearest bed.

"This is perfect for us. Fancy rooms are a bit too much for me." Desmond said as he stared at the soft mattress in front of him. While he did like the rooms king Aeetes gave them, they were a little bit too fancy. It was odd for him, coming from a rather middle income family, to be handed something so expensive.

"I agree. We should have no problem living in such a space." Alex said. He turned to Atalanta and gave a small bow. "Thank you for being so generous."

Atalanta waved her hand. "It's only fair that I should repay your kindness." She raised her hand to her mouth and let out a small yawn that sounded like a purring cat. "I'm getting tired... Should you need help with anything, don't hesitate to call me. I sleep on the second floor, last room on the left."

"Good night, and thank you." Alex said. Atalanta nodded and vanished down the hallway, closing the door behind her. Alex sighed and flopped down on the bed. He didn't feel like going up and socializing with the others. Some of them were a little bit too unruly for him.

"...Don't want to go party?" Desmond asked with an amused smile. The sounds of Orpheus playing his harp upstairs reached their ears. While it shouldn't be possible with such a lowly harp, Orpheus had such talent with music that it was loud enough to travel two floors down.

Normally, any person would have called the melody enchanting, but Alex simply found it annoying. He had absolutely no taste when it came to this kind of music. He rather preferred the art of rapping than whatever was being played upstairs.

"...no." Alex replied with a tired expression.

Desmond just chuckled and laid down in the bed to rest. He would be spending most of his days at sea with a bunch of crazy men who liked to party. Considering his options, he should probably rest up as much as he can.

* * *

"What do you mean Alex and Desmond had to leave?" Absytrus whined to his father.

King Aeetes sighed. "They left to handle something of diplomatic importance, son. If all goes well, they should be back in the span of several months."

"B-but they didn't tell me about this!" Absyrtus pouted with a small amount of hurt. He had gotten attached to his two personal bodyguards, and would often be found fooling around with them in the castle's garden. Whatever the case was, he clearly looked up to them as role models.

"They had to leave quite suddenly, due to the importance of the mission. However, they did tell me to send you their regards." Aeetes said, trying to cheer the boy up. Luckily, it seemed to have worked a little bit, as he watched Absyrtus wipe his nose with his sleeve.

"At least they were decent enough to do that." Absyrtus muttered.

"Don't be such a downer, son. Besides, you still have Kuro, jin, and Luke to talk with.

"Kuro and Luke are fine, but sister seems to always be hogging Jin." Absyrtus pointed out. King Aeetes let out a small grin at that piece of information. His daughter seemed to have taken a likening to her bodyguard after he helped her perform some magecraft. Indeed, it was a little bit surprising to figure out that his newly hired bodyguards were magus's, but it seemed to fall favorably with his daughter.

Even some rumors had been spreading across town about the newly hired bodyguards. Especially, about the ones with Jin and Medea.

Ah... teenage years. The years where love and youth ran wild. It almost made him feel a little bit too old, for a 49 year old man.

"Perhaps I should start coming up with wedding plans." Aeetes wondered out loud, causing Absyrtus to sweat drop.

"Ah... Father, I don't think they actually have a thing going on between them. It's more like a master and student thing." Absyrtus said.

"Hm... give it a couple of years." Aeetes continued, obviously not giving up on his claim. "It reminds me on how I met your mother. She was just a maid, while I was the prince of this castle. Back then, she was absolutely beautiful! And the best part? She had eyes for me too! Although, every female did at the time. Ah... the fun things we did. I even remembered the time when I took her to my room, where I then proceeded to have-."

"Father!" Absyrtus interrupted before he could hear anything more. "While I do love your stories, I do not wish to hear about the times you and mother had... intercourse."

Aeetes frowned. "My boy, that is the first step to manhood!" Seeing that his son still didn't understand, he shook his head. "never mind. In the future, when you get older, you will understand."

"I... really hope I don't." Absyrtus muttered as he quickly left the throne room to escape hearing even more of his fathers stories. To be honest, his fathers strange stories always seemed to weird him out, no matter what kind of subject it was.

Perhaps it was because his father had a habit of embarrassing him in public?

He continued away from the throne room, and into the palace's garden. He was already missing Alex and Desmond, and he found that he really didn't know what he could do to keep himself occupied. He just strolled around the garden aimlessly, before a voice called out from behind him.

"Hey kid, why are you looking so down?"

Absyrtus turned around and was shocked to find jin sitting at a bench that was originally out of his view. But what caught his attention, was the fact that he wasn't wearing his usually black and red clouded robe. In fact, ever since they've gotten here, he had never seen one of them ever actually wear anything else.

The clothes he was wearing, however, were nothing he had ever seen before. Instead of the usual greek clothing, Jin seemed to be wearing clothes that actually covered him up, and make him look badass at the same time.

From the waist down, he wore some kind of dark legging that seemed to be made out of some mysterious fabric. From the waist up, he wore an equally strange white chest piece that seemed to fit well on him. It clung to him tightly, showing off a few outlines of muscle through the strange fabric.

"J-jin?" Absyrtus squeaked as he examined the teens clothing.

Jin raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What are you wearing?"

Jin looked surprised at that question and looked down at himself. "Oh, these are my regular clothes. I've been wearing them every single day, you haven't noticed because I usually don't take off my robe very often."

Jin watched as Absyrtus continued to observe his wardrobe with interest. Really, it wasn't anything incredible. Back in his room, he was starting to feel very hot with wearing his cloak all day long, so he decided to use the Rinnegan to create some regular twenty-first century clothes for him.

The technique with which he was able to create the clothes with was called **Creation of all things.** A jutsu that the sage of six paths used to create many things. With it, he could breath life into an object, but the amount of chakra to do that would surely kill him.

It turns out the 'creation of all things' technique, varies in power depending on the object. If you wanted to create something such as clothes, water, or food, the chakra used to make it would be moderately low. However, say, you wanted an all powerful sword like Excalibur, the chakra needed to copy such a weapon would be absolutely enormous. Unlike projection, things created by the rinnegan are perfect copies, and won't fade away. Depending on how complex or powerful the item is, the more chakra would be needed to make a perfect copy. Since clothing and food aren't that complex, the chakra needed would be minor compared to making a sword.

If he wanted to even try and copy a holy sword, he would probably have to grow his chakra reserves for the next couple months to even replicate one. Usually, a ninja can only have a set amount of chakra before it stops getting bigger, but they had coded themselves to be able to increase their chakra reserves infinitely. As long as they continued to keep training, their chakra pools would just continue to get larger.

To be honest, he didn't really think about the consequences of new foods and clothing. It was clear to him that Absyrtus found his type of clothing strange and odd, but mysterious and cool at the same time. Perhaps he could make a living off of selling clothes...

"Where did you get these clothes?" Absyrtus asked.

Jin shrugged, faking stupidity. "I've always had them. A lesser known fact about me is that I actually know how to make clothing. I guess after a while, I've been experimenting on some designs I wanted to try out."

"But... These aren't like any kind of clothing I've ever seen." Absyrtus said as he continued to observe his clothing. "Usually, Hephaestus would be the first to invent something new. After that, humans just follow in his footsteps. As far as I know, no piece of clothing in Greece looks like that."

"Huh... I'm sure there is." Jin said with a nonchalant look. "If you want me to make some for you, I'm sure I could do that. Magic makes this kind of stuff easier, you know?" Hearing this, Absyrtus got a gleam in his eye. The same kind of gleam that business men got when they found an opening to rake in the big bucks.

"...Would you mind making some for me?" Absyrtus asked innocently. Jin raised an eyebrow at that, but shrugged.

"Sure, kid. I have a few designs that could look good on you." Jin said as he sized him up. "It's much easier to make smaller clothing, anyway. I'll have to get your size later so I don't mess up on the size."

"Cool! Thanks, jin!" Absyrtus exclaimed cheerfully. He'd have to see what other kind of clothings Jin could create. Depending on how they looked, they could go for a lot of money in the market. Who knows? It could become a world wide thing.

"No problem, kid." Jin said with a small smile. "Now, is there anything else you want to ask of me?"

Absyrtus was about to shake his head but he suddenly paused as he considered something. Jin was no doubt a very capable fighter, and must be well trained in the art of fighting others. He wanted to be a soldier in his father's army, but he still only knew the basics. Perhaps if he had another teacher...

He didn't even need to think about what his next words would be.

"Would you teach me how to fight?" Absyrtus asked with a surprisingly determined look on his face. Jin blinked twice at that request and frowned.

"You want me to teach you how to fight?" Jin asked, earning a nod in response. He sighed. "Kid, I'm not really sure about that. What would your father think if I handed you a pointy weapon?"

Absyrtus pouted. "Luke's the same age as me, and he gets to carry that pointy needle around!"

"Yeah... you do have a point there." Jin muttered. He gave Absyrtus a small look. "Alright, I guess I could teach you."

Absyrtus grinned and pumped his fist. "Alright! I won't disappoint you!"

Jin muttered something under his breath, but a small smile tugged at his lip as he stood up. "Come on, I'm supposed to meet with Medea at the the shrine of Hecate."

Absyrtus was too happy to even complain about going to some dusty shrine in the woods. Without even hesitating, He fell in line besides Jin as they began taking a lovely stroll through the woods in the backyard.

* * *

Up in the mountains, a woman in a plain white toga looked down upon the massive ship that was called, _The argo._ The woman was beautiful, but she had a certain air about her that would make her seem dangerous to any person who went near her.

Such feelings were completely normal. After all, she was Hera, the goddess of marriage and the wife of Lord Zeus himself.

She looked down upon the ship in thought, as she watched it pull away from the Colchis harbor. In truth, she and Athena (Who wanted the Fleece returned back to Thessaly), had been expecting more... resistance. They weren't expecting the king to just send two measly mortals to confront them.

At least, they thought they were measly, until one of them managed to contend one-on-one against Hercules. While she may not like that man, she can't deny that no other greek has ever managed to push him that far. Not even the obstacles he put in the way of his past labors ever hindered him that much.

"Hm... an interesting pair." Hera mused to herself. She didn't know who those two young men were, but it was obvious that they were powerful. However, there was even another thing that shocked her even more.

They weren't demigods.

She could sense it. Demigods, no matter how strong or weak they are, always exclude a certain scent that proves their heritage. Since Her husband was the father of Hercules, the oaf emitted a smell that smelled somewhat like electricity, or ozone before a storm.

They didn't have that kind of scent, which made it harder for her to believe. A man, with absolutely no divinity, was able to stand up to someone like Heracles?

Truly, a fine specimen. They have no godly parents, yet, they were able to contend with a son of Zeus. Just who were these men?

Originally, her first plan was to get Aphrodite to make Eros shoot an arrow at the queens heart when she laid her eyes on him, cursing her to fall in love, but it seems that won't be needed. These two young men just saved her a favor with the most insufferable of Goddesses.

She should keep a close eye on these two men in the future. It would be interesting to see their paths unfold.

She looked away from the boat and sighed as she leaned back against her golden throne. While she may not like many heroes, she would keep some close attention on those two. Who knows? She might even reward them with a small blessing if they entertain her.

Suddenly, she felt the presence of a similar being enter the vicinity. The queen of the gods turned around, and found a woman strolling up to her. While the woman didn't have the elegance and grace she had, she had a much more intimidating force around her that reminded Hera of a commander.

It was the goddess of wisdom: Athena. She had dark brown hair, and a pair of stormy grey eyes that seemed to be taking everything in and storing it in that brain of hers. She came to a stop in front of her, and gave a small bow.

"Good evening, I see you've been keeping eyes on the Argo." Athena commented.

"Hm... Yes." Hera muttered as if she had practice saying it. "Although you may not believe it, we've had an interesting change of events."

The goddess of wisdom raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"Turns out, we don't have to follow through with our original plan with Aphrodite. The king has decided to give the fleece away without problem." Hera informed, causing the woman's storm grey eyes to have a hint of surprise.

"Really? I was expecting the king to be a bit more problematic." Athena muttered in dissapointment. Not because it didn't go to plan, but because she was wrong.

"That's not the interesting part." Hera said as she waved her hands, and the image of two men appeared in the form of mist. "These two men, are more than what they seem. Before they handed over the fleece, one of them dueled Heracles."

Athena frowned. "Dueled Heracles? He must be mad."

"Not as mad as you may think." Hera said with a small smirk. "Not only did her survive, he managed to fight equally against my husband's greatest son."

"He fought on equal ground?" Athena muttered with a surprised look.

"And as far as I could tell, none of them are demigods. They are simply regular mortals that have gained powers compared to that of a demigod."

"Hm... Interesting." Athena said with a small twinkle in her eyes. "I shall continue to monitor them. Perhaps I could gleam some information off of them."

Hera smiled and dissipated the mist. Today had been a very interesting day, but it had been a little bit boring. As a god, she needed something to do to keep her occupied, lest she go find something to relieve her which usually ends up badly.

She formed a golden challace with a strange golden liquid inside. The fluid contained magical energy, that made it seem to have a smell.

"Ambrosia?" Hera offered.

Athena stared at the cup and shrugged.

She could use a small drink about now.

* * *

 **Faster update. I've had nothing to do on the weekend, so I decided to pump out a chapter.**

 **As you can see, two gods have finally taken notice of these two anomalies. Honestly, I can't tell if that would be a good or bad thing.**

 **Perhaps bad, because you know what happens with gods get bored.**

 **Anyway, it's getting late, and I need to retire for tonight.**

 **Ill see you in the next chapter!**

 **Baloshua, out!**


	8. Kraken

Medea watched with interest as Luke dueled with Absyrtus in the middle of the garden. She was initially perplexed with having Jin teach her younger brother more on how to kill others, but she couldn't say no when her brother flashed her his big puppy eyes.

Her fatal weakness that caused her to give in like a domino being pushed over in a chain reaction. No magecraft in the world would ever give her the ability to resist the dreaded puppy eyes.

She was also a little bit at ease when jin promised that he would be the one to personally train her younger brother. Of course, that didn't stop Kuro and Luke from trying to help out.

Kuro was too large and intimidating to spar with Absyrtus. Instead, Luke decided to fill in that role because he was the shortest and least intimidating out of all of them.

Just because he was small, however, doesn't mean he was weak. His thrusts with his odd looking weapon, was enough to pierce through an oak tree with some effort. Although, it was still much more strength than a boy his age should have.

Still, Luke wasn't being overly aggressive. He'd still take a few swings from time to time, but he'd usually let Absyrtus be the aggressive one and push him back.

Her brother was also mentored in swordplay by several instructors that father paid for, but she never saw him have as much fun as he was having now. Laughing and smiling wasn't the normal reaction for when you swing blades at each other.

His blade was made out of expensive quality materials that was given as a gift to him from his father. It was definitely big, but her brother had quickly gotten acclimated to it after a few practice sessions with his tutors.

She had never been a fan of using blades as a means of defense. She tried when she was younger, but quickly gave up on it when she figured out that she a special talent for the art of magic.

Her father had once been a priest to the goddess of magic: Hecate. As such, he was one of the few who specialized in magecraft and became a magician.

A very powerful one at that.

Since she had no talent with a blade, and her father wanted someone to follow in his footsteps, it didn't take her long to convince him to train her in the art of magic. When she began her training, she discovered her natural talent for magic and quickly mastered everything her father taught her in record time.

It was also just a few months into her training that she became a priestess to Hecate on the request of her father. It wasn't that hard of a job. All she really had to do was go to the shrine in the woods, and pray a little bit before her magic lessons.

She didn't mind her job, but she wondered if the goddess really even heard her prayers. She never sent a sign, and nothing really noteworthy ever happens whenever she's near the statue of Hecate. She knew that the gods existed, but they don't seem to really acknowledge anyone.

"So? What do you think of his training regime?" Jin asked with a small smile.

"I'm not really an expert in swordsmanship." Medea pointed out with an annoyed frown. "Although, I don't think any of his other tutors have pushed him as hard as this."

"Well, that's the only way he's going to get better, right?" Kuro said from his perch in a nearby tree. His huge blade was sitting across his lap leisurely and it unnerved her with how it looked. When she had learned that the sword was alive, she had decided to stay a safe distance away from it. It had some kind of fouled aura around it. It didn't carry the scent of bloodlust like Jin's sword but rather, it had some kind of predatory aura that felt like it wanted to devour everything in sight.

When he caught her staring, he gave a small smirk. "Don't tell me you're still uncomfortable about my blade? I mean, it does tell me that it likes you."

Medea winced. "As food?"

Kuro chuckled. "Sharkskin doesn't eat humans. Rather, it likes to eat magical energy. I constantly give it some of mine when i'm not fighting to keep it happy, but it seems to sense the energy within you." He cocked his head sideways. "He said that it smells tasty, and it might taste good as well. Perhaps you could offer him a sample?"

"I'm not going anywhere near that thing." Medea stated with a serious look.

"Medea, it's really not that bad. It's kind of like a stray dog that will eat any food that's offered to it." Jin said with an amused smile at her behavior. "While I don't blame you for being a little bit frightened, but you seem to be taking it a little bit too far."

Mead turned to him with a flushed look on her face. "I'm not scared! I just don't want to get close to that... that... thing! That's all!"

"Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that." Jin said with a small smile as he gave her a pat on the head.

"Aren't you two such a precious gem." Kuro teased with an amused look on his face. The second those words left his mouth, Medea rounded on him with a cherry covered face that he didn't think could get any redder than it already was.

"Y-you cur! What in Gaia are you speaking?!" Medea demanded with an embarrassed tone while Kuro just chuckled and leaned back in his position.

"Ah... Don't mind me. I'm just admiring the little scene in front of me." Kuro said with a smile, which only seemed to piss the witch off even more. She looked like she was prepared to launch a barrage of spells at him, so Jin decided to get involved before the entire area turned into a smoking crater.

"Medea, just calm down." Jin said with a small comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's just teasing you, don't take it personally."

Medea paused for a moment as she contemplated following his advice before sighing. "Fine, I'll tolerate it... for now."

Jin breathed a sigh of relief before he turned back to the fight between Absyrtus and Luke. Absyrtus was panting hard with sweat coming down his forehead, while Luke just continued to have a happy smile on his face.

"Good try, master! To be honest, I was expecting less from you." Luke complimented as he danced around Absyrtus in a carefree manner.

"...Gah... this is brutal." Absyrtus muttered as he tried to catch his breath.

"You did well, kid." Kuro called out with a small smile. "Form could use a little work, but I'm sure it'll improve by the end of the week if you're determined enough."

Absyrtus could only give a groan in response. While he was originally excited to be taught under a clearly formidable fighter, he didn't think that Jin's workout regime would be this tough! He thought it would have gone with the usual pushups and sit-ups, but his training method was absolutely nothing like that.

For one, you're not usually thrown into a fight on your first lesson.

"Perhaps we've been pushing you a little too hard." Jin muttered to himself with a thoughtful expression.

"You think? My brother may be the same age as luke, but he's clearly not like him." Medea pointed out with a deadpan look. Jin just gave her a sheepish look in response. He had to admit, being a teacher was exciting. Especially if you were able to boss your little students around. However, he felt like he got a little bit carried away.

"Alright, kid. That'll be it for today. You can barely stand up, and trying to keep practicing right now will only be bad for you." Jin said before he flashed an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, though. You'll get better in no time!"

Absyrtus perked up at that, but he continued to just remain silent and focus on breathing air. Kuro, seeing this, decided that it may be best to take the kid back to his room for a much needed case of R&R. He also didn't want Medea to get on his case about being such an irresponsible person. He jumped off from his perch up in the tree and wrapped his arm around the young kid.

"Alright, kid. I'll take you back to your room. Can't have you fainting on the way there, can we?" Kuro said with amusement. "Besides, your sister and my friend need to be left alone for a little while, don't you agree?"

By that point, Medea had absolutely reached the pinnacle of her patience. Just as she was about to get up and start throwing spells around, Kuro just flashed her a smile before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Luke, quickly seeing that Medea's ire was growing by the moment, decided to wisely remain silent and slip away from the area as the princess fumed.

"When I get my hands on him, there won't be a single scrap of bone left after i'm through with him!" Medea yelled in feminine fury. Jin let a bead of sweat roll down the back of his head as Medea muttered curses under her breath

"Medea, try to calm down. Your blood pressure will increase further if you don't control yourself." jin said slowly, not wanting to anger the witch even further. A woman's fury was a difficult thing to deal with. If she finds the chance, an angry woman will direct all of her anger and fury out on you if you aren't careful. Luckily, years of dealing with his mom have trained him in the art of calming wild beasts such as the ones in front of him.

Lucky for him, he didn't have has manhood removed his body, and instead had Medea turn to him with a mildly annoyed expression.

"How can you honestly deal with someone like him?" Medea demanded with a stern expression.

"Like I've said, he's not really all that bad. He just loves to tease people he cares about." Jin said with a small shrug. "Eventually, we just got used to it, and he grew tired of trying to annoy us when he found out that it wasn't working."

"How you could possibly remain calm for that long astounds me." Medea muttered to herself as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Regardless, I'll take your advice to heart. However, I don't think I'll actually be able to follow it. I'm more... sensitive than others."

"Yeah, I know." Jin said with an amused smile. "Perhaps you should work on that. Loosing your cool in the middle of a battle won't really help you."

Medea frowned at the jab at her weakness. "I know. A magus must be cool, calm, and collected. Sorry, but it doesn't really fit with my personality." Her face softened a bit. "Also, won't I have you there to protect me?"

Jin chuckled. "You will. After all, your safety comes first before anything." His eyes suddenly took on a serious look. "However, I have to be sure that you can defend yourself if worse comes to worse. I don't want you to die on my watch. After all, you're special to me."

Medea's eyes widened at that proclamation and soon found herself turning red once again. "I-I'm special to you?"

Jin frowned at her reaction, but nodded. "Yes. I've gotten quite used to you during the short days we have known each other. It would be such a shame if I failed in my duties as a bodyguard and end up with you dead. Imagine how I would ever be able to explain that to your father."

"Ah... er... I see..." Medea muttered in a daze. She found herself having a warm feeling in her chest as she replayed his words over and over in his mind. What was this feeling she was having? She never felt anything like this before. What could be the problem?

Alas, such feelings were absolutely foreign to her. In the end, she decided to just put it away and figure it out for later. She could refer to her books and see if she could find anything on this... strange feeling. Perhaps she would find something interesting.

"Now then..." Jin said as he stood up and offered the witch an offering hand. "How about a little stroll? You look a little bit uptight, so a walk should be good for you, right?"

Medea looked at his hand and nodded. "I guess... A walk would be very nice."

She began to stand up as she grasped his hand before she realized, too late, her legs had fallen asleep. After sitting still for several long moments, it seems her legs had decided to take a nap. She fell forward, and Jin instantly caught her in his arms upon instinct.

It was absolutely surprising, no matter how you put it. Medea blinked as she felt herself held tightly against him in a slightly protective manner before she began blushing once again. Jin, however, wasn't faring any better than she was.

"Ah... geez. How the hell am I supposed to keep my damn hormones under control?" Jin thought in annoyance as he felt his hormones acting up. Who wouldn't feel like that? He had a beautiful woman in his arms that possessed features that normal women wished they could possess. Embarrassingly, some parts of his body were starting to react to the contact. Deciding that he should probably pull away before things get weird, he hesitantly pulled away.

"...Are you alright?" Jin muttered lamely.

"...I'm fine, thank you." Medea responded with an equally embarrassed look.

They didn't say anything after that.

* * *

Alex really found himself bored as he sat belowdeck at one of the empty tables. As special guests on board the Argo, Jason decided that they shouldn't have to do any labor on board the ship since he deemed it would be 'too rude' to have guests of honor row their ship.

He didn't mind it too much, but he suddenly found himself with nothing to do but stare at a wooden wall for the past several minutes. Desmond had decided to stay above deck and catch the scent of the sea, but he personally couldn't stand the smell of seaweed and fish. It reminded him too much of the pier at San Diego.

Earlier in his room, he had also decided to take a change of wardrobe by creating a simple pair of black tennis shorts and a orange Nike shirt with the name 'Nike' written at the front for all of the world to see. Although, he hoped that the real Nike (The goddess of victory) didn't descend from the heavens and hit him with a copyright strike. That would totally suck.

"You're still down here?" A voice called out from behind him. He cocked his head and found Atalanta leaning against the nearby wall. Odd... He didn't even hear her or sense her approach. Perhaps he should stop putting too much thought into everything.

"Yes." Alex replied simply as he turned his attention back to the wall. "What are you doing down here? Is it break time for you?"

Atalanta shrugged. "No. I'm here because Jason told me to go check up on you. You haven't gone outside for several hours and he's worried somethings happened to you."

Alex snorted. "Please. What could possibly happen to me down here? It's not like there's some kind of monster on this ship you have hidden away, right?" His face softened a little bit though. "Still... thanks for the concern. Can you tell him I'm alright?"

"... You're not like the others. You're too polite to be like them." Atalanta decided after a moment of silence.

"Eh... I can be rude when I want to." Alex admitted. "Although, I don't really do so very often."

Atalanta just remained silent with an unreadable expression on her face. He didn't bother to ask her about it since it would probably end up with him having an arrow lodged into his forehead like a unicorn horn.

Eventually, she spoke again. "Would you like to join us at the deck, then?" Atalanta offered.

Alex gave a small smile. "Sorry... Smell of fish and seaweed isn't really something that sits well with me. It doesn't make me sick, but it annoys me."

"It's really not that bad." Atalanta pressed on before she got a mischievous grin on her face. "Trust me. I don't like the smell either, but if I can endure it, then so can you." She was pulling the big cards out now. There was no way that he wouldn't go upstairs without declining. That would make him look weak.

Alex paused for a moment in thought before sighing. "Fine..."

Hook, line, and stinker.

"Great! Now hurry up and get upstairs before Jason sends Heracles to check up on you." Atalanta warned before she vanished up the stairs. Alex sat still for several moments in his chair before sighing.

"Well... I'd rather not have Heracles come check up on me." Alex muttered to himself as he stood up and quickly headed for the stairs. He quickly climbed the stairs until he found himself standing out in the open with the wind blowing across his face.

Just like he thought, the smell of seaweed and other saltwater crap wafted into his nose and nearly made him let out a groan of annoyance. Gods he hated that smell. It almost made him want to go back belowdeck and just sleep for the rest of the day. Surely nobody would think he was weak... right?

...right?

Ah, who was he kidding, of course they would think he was weak! He couldn't have that, he had a certain image and reputation that he needed to uphold. After all, he tangoed with the strongest demigod in existence. If he could handle that, he can handle sea shit!

"See? Not that bad, right?" Atalanta said with a small amused smile at the twinge of annoyance on his face.

"...Not as bad as I was expecting." Alex muttered as his eyes scanned the deck and saw the entire crew working the boat. Most of the crew took turns using the oars to row the boat except for Hercules since he was the strongest among them. He even rowed using two oars at the same time! He looked at the prow of the ship and saw the design of a woman plastered to the front with a piece of wood in her hands.

"What's that for?" Alex asked.

"Oh, that's a statue of Athena. Apparently the wood it holds in it's hand is able to give off prophecies, but so far I haven't heard a single think come out of that statues mouth." Atalanta said with a mildly bored look.

"Oh... that's cool." Alex said lamely. "So, is there any other gods or goddesses on this ship that I don't know about?"

Atalanta's face hardened. "Hera, queen of the gods also protects our ship. Best word of advice? Do not ever mention her near Heracles. It puts him in a really bad mood for the rest of the day."

"...What did she do to him?" Alex asked, feigning ignorance.

"I don't really know the whole story." Atalanta admitted. "However, it seems that she doesn't really take too kindly to him. Lady Hera doesn't really like it when Lord Zeus goes off and makes a bunch of babies with someone other than her." Her expression became thoughtful. "Come to think of it... She only had two sons while Zeus probably had countless more. I don't exactly blame her with being angry. However, hurting children is something I can't condone."

"Protective of children, are you?" Alex pointed out.

"Of course. I have no qualms with killing men and women, but children are still a different matter. Too young and too dumb to really get mixed up in adult affairs." Atalanta said with a sad shake of her head. "What about you? Would you mind killing a child?"

Alex was silent for a minute before shaking his head. "...I don't really have a problem with taking lives, but I would have a hard time killing a kid. I think it's called a consciousness."

Of course, he couldn't really call himself an adult yet. He wasn't even in college, and he wasn't even 21 yet. However, Greece's declaration as an adult happens when kids are a lot younger. Atalanta referred to herself as an adult, but she looked to be just as old as he was.

He didn't expect most of the legendary figures of history to be so young, but history really was a weird thing to think about too deeply. Who knows? Perhaps he could see a giant kraken emerge from the ocean and attack the ship.

"Would be a pretty cool scene." Alex thought to himself before the ship lurched to a halt.

If you are living in the time of monsters and gods, you should learn not to think a dangerous situation out in your head. Chances are, if something can go wrong with whatever you are doing, then chances are that it will go wrong.

Murphys law is an annoying thing to follow. Seriously, it was practically everywhere back in the old days of Greece. You anger a god? Chances are that your entire life from the point onward will be one disaster after the other.

"...What's going on?" Jason questioned from the prow of the ship.

"If I had to guess... I'd say that we are being attacked." Desmond said from his position at the edge of the ship. He was peering over the edge at the waters below and saw that a shape was slowly forming from the depths.

"Do you think its a fish?" Alex questioned as the shape began growing even larger.

"I don't think fish are that big." Atalanta said as she drew her bow in preparation. The rest of the crew began standing up and drawing their weapons once bubbles began bubbling at the surface at the water. Their was a rumble for several seconds before a hideous shape emerged from the water.

It was a giant squid. A really, really, REALLY, big squid. It was so big and ugly that it would make anyone question what God was thinking when he created this thing. It's body was black like obsidian, and there was kelp and seaweed clinging to it's skin, making it look like the aftermath of someone who had been drinking too much. In the middle of its body, was a giant red eyeball that was looking around like a search light before its gaze fell upon them.

"Definitely not a fish." Desmond muttered as the giant squid let out a huge roar and several huge tentacles bursted out of the water around it.

"Do these things usually come and attack you?" Alex asked Jason, who looked like he was about seconds from pissing his pants.

"N-no. Monsters like these usually stay away from our ship." Jason said before he gazed at the Fleece. "It must have been lured here by the aura the Fleece is emitting, thinking it was a snack."

"Or it could be the witch Hera again." Heracles rumbled under his breath as he drew his bow and arrows that were sitting besides him.

"Well, right now, we have bigger things to worry about instead of wondering what this thing is doing here." Alex said as he drew his swords.

Note to self: Think before you speak.

* * *

 **Woop! Finally finished this chapter! Took longer than usual, but it's finally done!**

 **I've been playing Fate/grand order for a while now, and I must say that it's been taking up almost every single minute of my christmas vacation. I've never played an android game that could keep me occupied like that one.**

 **Well... Maybe Clash of the Clans is a close second.**

 **Anyway, Christmas is coming up soon, so I should probably get working on another chapter soon. I promise I'll try to update it faster than this one.**

 **Have a happy soon-to-be Merry christmas!**

 **-baloshua**


	9. Calamari

The monster seemed to be really hungry. Must have been the reason why it rose up from the depths just to attack their little ship. The intoxicating scent of the Golden Fleece must have smelt like a five star meal to this monster. Considering it's size, it probably needed to most delicious of prey to satisfy it.

Unfortunately, it has deemed the entire ship as it's prey and was hell bent on eating the fleece, the crew members, or probably both.

Two large tentacles began slithering up the decks towards the crew in a snakelike pattern. Luckily, Heracles fixed the problem by promptly picking ups his stone club and smashing it down on both of the tentacles with his overwhelming force. The squid let out a shriek in response and the tentacles quickly retreated, only for several more of them to raise up out of the water as the squid began to quickly get angered.

"This is getting nowhere. Sooner or later, we're going to be overrun." Atalanta said grimly as she shot down three tentacles without taking time to pause and aim. Her face was calm, and she didn't seem to be panicking like the rest of the crew members.

"Which part of the squid do you think is the weakest?" Alex asked as he sliced apart a tentacle.

"The eye." Atalanta responded immediately. "However, the monster seems to be smart enough to keep it closed. It seems to be able to sense where our ship is through the water. Makes sense, since it's a sea creature."

"But isn't this ship supposed to have divine protection?" Desmond questioned as he cut through a tentacle, causing it to turn green as the poison infiltrated it's system.

"HERA!" Heracles roared as he smashed his club down on another tentacle before shooting several more with his arrows.

"It seems Heracles is absolutely convinced that this was all Hera's fault." Jason said. Surprisingly, the weak captain of the argo wasn't shaking as bad as most of the crew members. "I do not think she has the authority to send a powerful monster like this after us."

"Do you think someone did something to piss off Poseidon?" Alex asked as he ducked under a swinging tentacle.

"I doubt that too. We know better than to meddle with or do anything insulting to the gods. It's probably the Fleece like I've been saying." Jason said. "We have to defeat this creature quickly, or it's going to get impatient and just grab the entire boat out of the water."

"Don't worry! You've got us on your side. This shouldn't be any problem!" Desmond said cheerfully before he ran over to the side of the ship and vaulted over the edge, shocking everyone on board.

"That idiot! What does he think he's doing?!" Atalanta yelled in surprise.

"Eh... He'll be fine. Cover us from the ship, will you?" Alex said with a small smile before he followed Desmond over the edge of the ship. He pushed chakra to his feet, and landed on the water as easily as on land.

He looked around and found Desmond making a straight line towards the main body of the squid, hacking and slashing through any tentacles that happened to be in his way. He grunted and ran to quickly catch up to him.

"Desmond!" Alex called out as he jumped over a tentacle. "What's the plan?!"

Desmond frowned. "Plan?"

Alex would have face palmed if he wasn't in the heat of battle. "yeah! Don't you have a plan? You can seriously think you could pierce this thing's skin with your sword, right?!"

Desmond smiled sheepishly. "Yeah... You have a point. Whatever, let's just keeping hitting it until it dies!"

Alex rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. It was the only plan they could come up with right now. The first thing they should do is to draw the squids attention away from the ship. As long as the creature thinks they are the bigger threat, it will focus most of it's attention on them, keeping the ship safe.

However, this thing was seriously tenacious. There was absolutely no end to the tentacles that were sprouting out of the water. Whenever they cut one down, there was another that would take it's place.

There was also the fact that this thing was a sea creature. Thus, water jutsu probably won't do jack squat against it. At best, it would probably just temporarily surprise it and give them a few seconds to follow up with a stronger attack.

But that would be impractical, and would just be a waste of time. Fire jutsu was out of the question for obvious reasons, and His earth Jutsu wouldn't be able to restrain it. The only thing left to do was blast it with a lightning jutsu.

That'd be the best bet. The beast was already drenched, and would easily draw the lightning away from everyone else. However, he's too occupied with the tentacles to make the necessary preparations for the attack.

The technique he was going to use was lightning release: lightning fang. A jutsu that require the use of the Kiba blades to perform. It allows the user to shoot down several lightning strikes to electrocute the target.

While it may have a quicker start time than any other jutsu, the sheer amount of tentacles converging on him didn't make it easy to prepare the attack.

"Desmond! I need you to draw it's attention away from me!" Alex called out. Desmond nodded and quickly used the chakra in his legs to jump towards the body of the beast. He descended upon the beast and stabbed his sword straight through the beasts forehead.

The squid let out a screech of pain, and all of the tentacles began immediately moving towards its body in an attempt to rid itself of the bug that had burrowed itself into its skin. Desmond held on for dear life as the squid thrashed around desperately to throw him off.

Finally having the opening he needed, Alex raised his swords to the sky and began focusing chakra through the blade. The blade glowed with energy, as it converted the chakra into electrical energy and blasted it off into the sky.

Desmond, seeing the attack was already beginning, wisely decided to abandon his position. He placed his feet against the beasts skin and pulled the sword out of the squid's skin, which was starting to look like a rotting banana thanks to the poison. He jumped back as Alex recited the name of his attack.

"lightning release: Lightning fang!"

The lightning bolt that had been sent towards the sky, now streamed out of the clouds towards the sea squid in a streak of light that was almost too fast to be seen. The squid roared in agony as the lightning rippled up and down its body and into the surrounding water around it. The sounds of pain the squid made sounded so painful, that it made Alex and Desmond feel a little bit sorry for it.

Lucky, or unlucky, the squid monsters pain finally stopped along with it's life. The now-burnt-squid toppled sideways and began sinking slowly back into the depths of the ocean where it will surely be eaten by some other monster or decay after several years.

Alex and Desmond silently stood there as they tried to catch their breath. Without a word, both of them lifted their hands up and gave each other a fist bump for a job well done. They turned their heads back to the Argo and found the crew staring at them silently with hanging jaws.

"...You're explaining this." Desmond said.

"...Fine." Alex muttered.

He was too busy thinking about how this badass moment would be captured in the future. Were people going to make awesome pictures about him and Desmond, depicting them as heroic heroes who singlehandedly killed a giant squid thingy?

...Perhaps, but that won't happen for a long, long, time.

* * *

Hera found herself staring at her husband Zeus as he continued to stare into the crystal ball silently. Ever since Zeus saw a human being that she actually found favor with, He had been paying close attention to the little band of mortals.

Well... He does that normally during his pastimes, but he seems to be keeping an eye on them even more than usual. Perhaps it was because his bastard son, Heracles, was there? Bah... She'll have to cook up something for that big oaf as soon as he gets off that ship.

For once, though, Zeus wasn't paying any attention to his prized son or her favorite mortal. Rather, he was more focused on staring at the two new additions to the crew who had joined them to simply make sure that nothing bad happened to the Fleece.

She had never thought that Zeus would ever spend this much time studying those two mortals. Usually he only does this with the other 176 women he wanted to bed with. She hated it when he did that behind her back.

But ever since one of those mortals had fought equally with his son, Zeus had been attempting to see more of them in an attempt to figure out who they were. Obviously, he could tell that they weren't a demigod, which seemed to fuel him even more.

It also spread to the other gods and goddesses. Usually Hephaestus would be building useless stuff every day. But now, he had been following the Argo's travels ever since the boat had left the Colchis harbor. Apollo and Artemis had also taken quite an interest in the two mortals, and were usually keeping an eye on them. Artemis kept her eyes on the one called 'Alex' a lot more than her older brother because she was worried that he was getting perhaps a little bit too close to her favorite huntress.

While she did agree with the younger goddess that men can be quite the douches, she didn't exactly agree with the 'virgin forever' part.

Even the Victory Goddess: Nike, had been taking an interest in Alex. Simply because he wore her name on the front of his strange looking chest piece. A normal god would be angered at the fact that a mortal would dare bear their name, but Nike seemed to like the prospect of having her name for all to see.

She wanted to see what these two young men were really capable of, so the goddess of victory suggested getting a monster to attack the boat.

Zeus was all too happy to agree with that idea since he loved a little smack down here and there. He quickly called Poseidon and asked him to send a monster to attack the Argo. The god of the sea was hesitant at first, but he agreed after a few minutes of arguing.

She was initially also hesitant at first, but she realized that this was a perfect chance to see these two mortals in action. If they failed... well... At least she could get rid of the problem whom was named Heracles.

She didn't really think the two mortals could really do much against that kind of monster. I mean, what could they possibly do to fight the monster in the water? Dive right into the water, swim up to the monster, and just hope that you swam fast enough to not get grabbed by it's tentacles? Hah!

So imagine her surprise when both of them proceeded to dive over the side of the boat _on purpose._ Her surprise only continued to grow when they both decided to do a Poseidon and stand on top of the water. Such a feat can only be achieved by a very select few mortals, most of whom were magus's or sons of Poseidon. Even for them, it usually takes months or years of training to even stand on water, showing that these two were not just skilled in the art of the sword.

But then they had to blow her expectations away when the one called Alex, summoned a lightning bolt with his sword and fried the giant squid until it died. Before that, even the one called 'Desmond' was able to pierce the monsters iron-like skin and initiate some kind of poison that began to slowly kill off the beast from the inside out.

Soon after her husband had witnessed the attack, he had gone into a deep silence with a weird look on his face. She couldn't read the expression on his face. Which was odd, considering she could usually read his expressions most of the time.

"Er... Husband?" Hera began slowly. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine." Zeus replied without even looking at her.

"Well, you don't really look fine." Hera said with deadpan look. Zeus sighed and threw his hands in the air.

"I'm just wondering who these two young men are, that's all." The god grumbled. "They're not demigods, that's for sure. Yet, they still fight like they have some divinity in them."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm just as clueless as you are about them." Hera said with a small smile to try and placate her husband.

"I never thought that a mere human could fight on par with a demigod. My own son, no less!" Zeus said with a shake of his head. Suddenly, he didn't find his son very impressive anymore. These men could have probably done his labors in their sleep!

"Honestly, you get so worked up over the most trivial of things." Hera said with a sigh. "If you're just that curious. Why don't you go and ask them about it yourself?"

It was an impossible suggestion that almost no god would take. Appearing in front of a Demigod was a show of favoritism. Showing in front of a regular mortal without divine blood, would make you look weak. The day a god would ever appear in front of a regular mortal would be the day Zeus stopped cheating on her.

"That sounds like a great idea, honey!" Zeus exclaimed as he stood up.

...Perhaps that day might come sooner than she thought.

"Er... Honey, are you actually going to do what I suggested?" Hera asked.

"But of course! I will simply appear to them in private!" Zeus said as if he was the one who had came up that idea. "I wonder what form I should use... An old man? A ghost? Lightning?"

Hera just tuned her husband out as he continued trying to figure out how he should appear to them. Perhaps she shouldn't have suggested that. When gods got involved in mortal affairs, it usually ends up with something bad happening to them. Especially if the god in question just so happened to be her Husband.

She should know. She's had a lot of practice with Heracles.

* * *

Kuro followed behind Chalciope as she walked around the busy town while humming a tune in her head. He didn't exactly mind having to follow her, but she didn't need to drag him out of his meditation to do that! Why didn't she get Luke or Jin? They're not doing anything to his knowledge.

"So... why did you call me out here?" Kuro asked as he remained cautious for any suspicious people.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm just taking you to go see a friend of mine." Chalciope said with a happy tone as she skipped down the road.

"Hm? Whose your friend?" Kuro asked.

"Actually, she's more of a grandma figure than a friend." Chalciope admitted. "She used to run a market that I'd use to go to when I was younger, but she's just living quietly by herself since she's getting old."

"So why are we going to see her?"

"Because I usually come see her from time to time to see how she's doing. She helped raise my children, you know, so I am indebted to her." Chalciope said casually.

"Hm... I see." Kuro muttered before he frowned. "Wait a second, are you saying that you had children?"

Chalciope giggled. "Are you surprised? I'm the daughter of a king. Did you think that I wouldn't have suitors come out to claim my heart?"

"Er... not really." Kuro admitted with an embarrassed expresion. From the information he had gathered about her from Medea, he figuered out that she was at least several years older than her. Probably about 6 years or so. Given her looks, and her position as a princess, it didn't seem far from the truth.

"I had four wonderful sons. All whom have already left the kingdom to see new lands." Chalciope smiled fondly. "They're very adventurous, but they don't forget to send me a letter every once in a while."

"Seem like good children." Kuro commented.

"They were everything I could have hoped for." Chalciope said with a happy sigh before her expression darkened. "However, my husband died a few months after I had given birth to them. It was sudden, and the doctors had deemed it as an illness."

"Who was your husband?" Kuro questioned.

Chalciope smiled. "His name was Phrixus. He was originally from Boeotia, but he fled here after escaping from his evil stepmother, Ino. Apparently she hated him and tried to kill him for reasons he never actually made clear. He appeared here on a golden ram that was flying through the air."

Kuro's eyes widened. "You mean..?"

Chalciope nodded. "That's where the golden fleece came from. Father was kind enough to take him in, and Phrixus was thankful enough to gift him the fleece as payment for his goodwill. Fater took it and hanged it in a grove dedicated to Ares."

"Was he a nice guy?" Kuro asked.

"Of course he was! Did you think I wouldn't have married him if he wasn't?" Chalciope snorted, making Kuro's face red up in embarrassment. "He was a nice man who was always kind to my younger siblings. They were absolutely devastated when he died."

They remained silent the lest of the way. Kuro didn't really want to say anything, considering it was only polite of him not too. You don't just randomly start switching topics when someone talks about something as serious as the death of a family member.

She took him down another road and quickly arrived at a small wooden house. It was a simple looking building, and it didn't look like a place where you would figure a princess such as herself would be hanging out. She walked up to the door and knocked on it before turning to Kuro.

"we're here. Please mind your manners around her." Chalciope warned. Kuro nodded and kept his hands in his pockets. Respecting the elderly was something he was taught at a very young age. Old people usually know a lot of good information, after all.

It was quiet for several seconds before the sound of footsteps were heard from the other side of the door. The doorknob twisted before the door was slowly flung open. Standing in the doorway, was an old lady who leaned on a small wooden cane. She looked like one of those elderly asian monks with the way she gripped that walking cane of hers.

"Oh! Chalciope my dear, how are you?" The elderly lady crooned as soon as she laid her eyes on his charge.

"I am fine, thank you." Chalciope said with a smile before she turned to Kuro. "I'd like for you to meet my bodyguard. He was employed by my father a few days ago."

"Hello there, dearie. My name is Melita, it's a pleasure to meet you." The old lady named Melita said. Kuro gave a smile and bowed his head in respect.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Ma'am. My name is Kuro." Kuro said respectfully.

Melita chuckled. "Please, no need to be so formal with an old biddy like me. Just call me Melita, or grandma."

Kuro shrugged. "Alright, Grandma."

"Good. Now, come on in, both of you. It would be rude of me to leave my guests outside like this." Melita said as she began to slowly retreat back to her den. Chalciope followed in behind her and Kuro just fell in line quietly. He felt a little bit awkward, to be honest. He was a little bit self conscious, and cared about what other people thought of him. Elderly people, especially.

"This is a very nice house." Kuro commented as he examined the living room. It wasn't anything expensive, but everything was organized perfectly. Simple, but perfect.

"Thank you, dearie. I've been living in this old cot for fifty years now and I usually clean it regularly." Melita said before she frowned. "Very hard on the back, though. Especially if I need to get underneath the couch."

Kuro and Chalciope both winced at that. In this day and age, there was absolutely no such things as vacuums or swifter dusters. Here, everyone had to do their house cleaning by hand. Perhaps they did have cleaning utensils, but they weren't anything close to the vacuums of the twenty-first century.

"You know, you could have called me to take care of this stuff." Chalciope said with a worried expression. "You're getting too old for activities like this."

"Bah." Melita huffed. "I can take on twenty five soldiers at once in hand to hand combat when I was younger. If I can do that, then I can do anything!"

Kuro sweat dropped at that before he frowned. "Twenty five soldiers at once? Were you a warrior, grandma?"

Melita chuckled. "I may not look like it sonny, but I used to be part of an all women warrior group called the Amazons. They usually live up in Pontus, and are composed up of the toughest women around."

"Cool." Kuro commented with interest. So this old bippy was a warrior? Interesting.

"Melita came here for a change of pace after she left the amazons to start a family." Chalciope said.

"But don't amazons take a vow of chastity?" Kuro asked.

Melita chuckled. "That is a common misconception, dearie. Unlike the hunters of Artemis, the Amazons don't really have a problem with men. In fact, we have no qualms with settling down with one. We just like to show them whose in charge, that's all."

"Says the woman who kicked out her first husband." Chalciope muttered.

"To be fair, he wasn't really the best husband material." Melita defended. "Besides, I found a much better husband and I lived happily ever after."

"Scary..." Kuro thought to himself. Despite how easy going the grandma seemed to be, she emitted some kind of aura that felt a little bit militaristic. It was kind of like an old commander who was waiting for a cadet to screw up just to get an excuse to yell at them.

"mmm." Melita hummed to herself as she served two cups of tea and handed one to each of them. "It's been a while since I've had any company. it does get lonely around here after a while."

"I'm sorry." Chalciope apologized. "I've been busy with helping father. He's always dealing paperwork every single day, and the pile keeps getting larger everyday."

"A valid reason. Family should always be your number one priority." Melita said as she sipped her tea before she turned to Kuro. "And what about you? What would be your priority?"

"Protecting my charges." Kuro said immediately. "It's the right thing to do. I owe it to King Aeetes for taking me in, after all."

Melita smiled. "Hm... Your a person who will do what he thinks is right, eh?" She turned back to chalciope. "You're lucky to have gotten someone like him."

Chalciope shrugged. "I'd say Medea got the better one."

Kuro shrugged. "I'd give it about a month before things escalate."

"ho! Interesting, indeed! It's been a while since I've had a talk like this." Melita said with a foxy grin that only an old lady could pull off. "What do you think of this, Chalciope?"

"I don't really have a problem with it." Chalciope said with a smile. "I admit, I had my doubts about letting him anywhere near her, but he's a great guy. Kind of reminds me of Phrixus in some ways."

"Must be quite the eye candy."

"Meh." Kuro said as he finished drinking his tea. It was king of awkward for him to be talking about Jin like this, but he didn't have the heart to excuse himself from the table. He didn't want to hurt the old woman's feelings after all.

Still... He could use an excuse right now.

Suddenly, there was an urgent sounding knock on the door, drawing everyones attention from their conversation. Melita frowned a bit before she stood up and headed over to see who it was. She opened the door, but it was angled in a way that wouldn't allow Kuro or Chalciope to see who it was. Melita was silent for a moment as if she was listening to the visitor speak. She nodded several times before closing the door and turning to kuro.

"It was a messenger from the castle." Melita informed.

"Hm? What did he say?" Chalciope asked.

Melita shrugged. "He simply called for Kuro. It seems the king has an important task for him or whatever the sort may be. The messenger didn't seem very concerned, so I assume that it's nothing too troubling."

Kuro gave a sigh of relief at those words. At least he had an excuse to get out of here. "I guess I should see what he wants. Can you walk home by yourself, Chalciope?"

"I will have no problem. Just do go see what my father wants with you." Chalciope said with a smile. Kuro nodded before he quickly left the building and raced towards the castle by jumping from roof to roof, surprising some bystanders who just so happened to be out.

* * *

"So... what seems to be the problem, sir?" Kuro asked as he arrived at the throne room.

"Oh... nothing major. I just need you to leave with the new batch of criminals in a few hours." The king said with a wave of his hands.

"Eh? What for?" Kuro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, this batch of criminals just so happened to be the ones who assaulted my son a few days ago. Seeing that attacking the kings heir deserves the worse kind of punishment, I have decided to send them somewhere special." Aeetes said with a gleam in his eyes before he frowned. "However... the last time I did that, the guards got overpowered by the criminals due to laziness and the criminals managed to escape."

"So you want me to go with them, right?" Kuro asked.

"I'm glad you understand, kid." King Aeetes said as he gave kuro a slap on the back, nearly knocking him to the floor.

Kuro groaned as he recovered from the show of affection. "Alright... I'll do it. But where are am I supposed to be escorting them?"

King Aeetes gave a sickening grin that made Kuro feel a little bit sorry for the unfortunate criminals. "Well... the shapeless Isle, of course."

Kuro's eyes widened. "Medusa's lair?"

King Aeetes laughed. "A fitting end for the criminals I'm going to send there."

Yeah, King Aeetes really was a little sadistic. Sending criminals to the shapeless Isle was practically a tripe to the Guillotine. Although, at least getting turned into stone by a beauty wouldn't be as bad as getting your head chopped off.

At least you would die with a raging boner.

* * *

 **Wow! Finished this one in record time. Christmas is coming up tomorrow, so I thought I'd crank this one out quickly since I'll be celebrating the holiday season with my family.**

 **Next chapter will introduce Medusa to our heroes, so get ready! I'll try to pump out that chapter just as quick as this one!**

 **Have a great holiday season!**

 **-baloshua**


	10. Prisoner delivery service PDS

Kuro silently cursed Aeetes for putting him up to such a job. He could have escorted the criminals to some other dangerous place, but noooo... He had to escort them to the home of the most famous Greek monster ever.

Granted, as long as he didn't look into her eyes, he should be fine. Still, it's kind of hard not to do that when you're trying to avoid being being mauled to death by a very angry female.

Only few kingdoms actually knew where the shapeless isle was. Partly because no one was willing to go near it. The kingdoms that did know where it was, used it as a death sentence for the worst criminals. It helped free up space in the dungeon and they didn't have to bury them. It's a win win situation.

Still, he didn't really like putting his body at risk to simply escort three criminals to a death trip to the Bahamas. But hey, the Kings word was law.

He stole a glance at the three criminals who were bound and shackled near the plank of the ship where they would be dropped off onto the island. It was clear on all of their faces that none of them were going to leave the island alive.

"At least this makes my job easier." Kuro muttered as he eyed the island in the distance. "If I'm lucky, I'll get to see some first class monster bashing. Assuming I don't become a target as well."

Knowing how prominent Murphy's law was in Ancient Greece, he knew it'll probably happen one way or another.

The only other people on the ship other than him and the three criminals were the the captain, and two other crew members. Not a large crew, but it was because Aeetes didn't want too many people to die if Medusa decided to attack the entire ship. Apparently, it's happened at least once or twice.

He knew he shouldn't disembarked if he valued his own safety, but he really wanted to see what Medusa was like before she became a servant. If he had to guess, she was probably really pissed off at life at this time, and was willing to vent her frustration at any human being stupid enough to traverse her territory.

Kinda like a tiger. Except this tiger just so happened to be a very fierce women who liked to make statues out of people.

There was also the fact that she was said to have her two sisters living with her at the island. While she was viewed as a monster, the two others were revered as beautiful goddesses. Men came from all over just to abduct her sisters, so she probably won't be very happy to see several fat men being dumped on her doorsteps.

"Perhaps I should bring a peace offering with me?" Kuro thought to himself before shaking his head. "Nah, she probably won't accept anything I have to offer."

"Sir!" A voice called from behind him. Kuro turned around and saw a young teenage boy standing at attention with a nervous look on his face.

"Yes, soldier?" Kuro asked with all the seriousness he could muster.

"We've arrived at medusa's isle, sir."

kuro rolled his eyes. "I can see that, kid. The island is right in front of us." The kids face flushed in embarrassment and he began fiddling with his thumbs nervously.

"Right, sorry sir. What I meant to say was, what are your orders?" The boy asked. Kuro blinked twice in surprise at being asked for orders before waving his hands in a dismissive gesture.

"Just drop me, and the criminals, off at the beach. Once you have done that, you are to pull away from the island as fast as possible. Medusa will likely aim for you to cut off any chance at escape." Kuro explained.

"B-but what about you, sir? You'll be stranded with an angry monster if we pull back!" The boy stuttered.

"I have a way. You just worry about following your orders. Remember, I was handpicked by King Aeetes to supervise your ship. Should you die, I'll get some flak from the king, and I hate it when that happens." Kuro said with a stern look. "Plus, if you die, I'll have to tell your family that you were eaten by an angry gorgon. How would they feel about that?"

"Er... Bad, sir." The kid muttered lamely.

Kuro nodded. "You got that right. Now, go tell the captain my orders before I get stressed out."

"Y-yes, sir!" The kid said before he ran off to go tell the captain his orders. Kuro sighed and turned his attention back to the island that was getting closer with every passing second.

* * *

A beautiful looking woman sat quietly in the trees as she stared off into the horizon. At least, she would be called a woman, if she wasn't called a monster by practically everyone in her homeland.

The woman was stunningly gorgeous. She had long purple hair that would make anyone wonder how she manages to take care of it. She wore a simple black and purple dress with a matching pair of armbands and boots.

She was beautiful, but she didn't really care. Why should she? She's not regarded as a human being, so why should she care for trivial things such as beauty or reason?

She was human once. A princess, actually. That was before she was turned into a monster due to Athena's jealousy. She didn't understand why back then, but she was too busy trying to get as far away from the people who wanted to hunt down and kill the 'monster' that was her.

She retreated to a little island that was far away from human civilization and settled down there to get away from her aggressors. Her sisters, whom were hailed as beautiful goddesses, followed after her out of pity.

She didn't mind. Her sisters were all she had left. Not like she had many possessions to begin with.

Eventually, she met posideon when he happened to visit her island on a whim. Seeing how lonely and pitiful she was, he gifted her with a beautiful horse with wings. She named him Pegasus, and took care of him as her faithful steed.

During her afternoons, she'd usually use Pegasus's speed to traverse across the water. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past her face and the smell of the sea. It reminded her a little bit of her old days.

Unfortunately, her happy days came to a halt when humans found her island. How they even managed to find it remained a mystery to her, but it was probably Athena's fault. The men who journeyed to her island had come with the intent to kill her or steal away her beautiful sisters.

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to take her stress out on the same people who have treated her poorly, she petrified everyone with her cursed eyes and littered the entire beach with countless stone statues.

It was such a bore to simply change them all to stone, though. If she was feeling generous, she'd give her victims a fighting chance. Still, there was no human who could best her.

She raised her head as she felt the familiar scent of humans reached her nose. She turned her head and sighed when she saw a ship pulling up to her beach. Seriously, will these humans ever learn?

But it wasn't really all too bad. At least she had something to do that would kill off her boredom.

She jumped forward from tree to tree to see her new prey. She enjoyed the sense of terror her prey had when they were set loose on her island. Perhaps she'll let them wander around aimlessly before slaughtering them.

She licked her lips at that part.

* * *

The guards unshackled the three men and promptly shoved them towards the edge of the boat. Kuro quickly joined them in his regular Akatsuki cloak and Samehada strapped to his back.

"You know your orders, right?" Kuro asked with a stern look. The guards nodded and kuro smiled. "Good."

He then promptly turned around and kicked all three men off of the boat. They each let out a grunt of pain as they hit the sand below. He jumped down after them, and landed perfectly as the boat began pulling away from the beach.

Kuro gave each of the men a look and sighed in annoyance. "You know, if you didn't attack my friend and the king's son, none of this would have happened to you. I could have been relaxing back at the castle, but I have to waste my time with you three little shits."

"We didn't know!" One of the men argued before he was silenced as kuro drew his sword.

"Your opinions aren't really a factor. Now, get busy walking, or I'm going to have samehada eat you up. Trust me, you'd rather get turned to stone than become sharkfood for my blade." Kuro threatened.

The three men gained looks of despair in their eyes before marching forward into the nearby woods. Kuro shouldered his blade and waited patiently for what was about to come.

A few minutes later, three screams were heard from the woods before they slowly began getting quieter. Finally, the screams stopped altogether.

"Poor fellows." Kuro muttered to himself as he planted Samehada in the sand. "What do you think, Samehada?"

"Tsktsksktsktsk [They would have been much better as food.]" Samehada gurgled. The blade had begun talking to him a few days after they had arrived in this world. The way it was able to communicate with him was kind of like telepathy and only he could understand it.

Samehada knew that it was a byproduct of a simple computer code, but it didn't seem to mind. The only thing it actually seemed to care about was food and fighting.

Boy stuff, if you would prefer.

Kuro was suddenly snapped out of his little conversation with his blade when he looked up and saw a beautiful woman standing several feet away from him.

She was glaring at him with her eyes, if they could be called that. They were grey and looked like crystals that seemed to look deep into his soul.

He looked into her eyes, and immediately felt some kind of weight being pressed down on him. He inwardly cursed as he tried to lift his arm, but found it getting heavier and heavier.

On instinct, he began stirring the chakra up in his body and felt it churn around inside of him. He felt the pressure slowly lifting off of his body as the chakra worked against the unseen forced, and he flexed his arms to test it out. Nodding in satisfaction, he turned back to his aggressor.

"...Nice eyes." Kuro spoke casually, causing the woman to freeze in her tracks in surprise.

"What?" The woman asked with a confused expression. "How are you not affected by my gaze?"

"Oh, it's affecting me." Kuro admitted. "I'm just using my powers to force it down. Still taking most of my power to do so."

"...Why have you come, Human?" Medusa questioned as she drew a pair of iron daggers that were connected with chains.

"Why have I come? I was simply told by my king to escort three criminals here. Nothing more. nothing less." Kuro said with a dissmissive wave.

Medusa was silent before she spoke. "Lies. You're here to kill me, aren't you? You humans always are."

Kuro frowned. "I don't have any intention to kill you, Ma'am. I'm simply doing my job."

"Lies!" Medusa snarled before she charged. Kuro inwardly cursed at grabbed Samehada out of the ground.

"What is it with angry women?" Kuro thought to himself as he charged forward to meet her. "Must be the amazon streak."

The chakra in his body strained as it fought against the petrification curse that was being forced upon him. Even with the curse being suppressed by his chakra, he could still feel his body moving slower than normal.

Despite what many people think, Greeks actually practiced martial arts. It's not like the kung fu style that's found in Asia, but rather like grappling and throwing. Very few greeks ever actually fought using their bare hands and most prefered using weapons instead.

Medusa apparently was one of the few who actually used their fists and feet to attack. Makes sense since her entire body is built like a gymnast.

She launched a powerful roundhouse kick towards his chest, causing him to raise the flat of his blade to block the attack. Even with using chakra to enhance his strength, he could still feel the sheer kicking power behind the attack push him back.

Kuro's eyes suddenly widened when he saw Medusa jab at him with her stakes in her free hand. He brought his hand up and struck her in the wrist, redirecting the attack above his head and tearing off a few strands of hair.

Medusa's eyes widened for a brief second before they were replaced with anger. She had never met a mortal who could last this long against her and it was starting to get infuriating. She jumped backwards to put on some distance before charging forward in a zigzag motion in an attempt to confuse her prey.

Seeing through her attempts, Kuro quickly brought samehada up and slamed it forcefully into the sand. The entire ground exploded, kicking dirt and sand everywhere into a cloud of minerals.

Medusa stopped moving and quickly looked around in the dust cloud. Normally it would be a nusciance to any normal human being. However, she has learned to fight without sight by her other senses. She quietly closed her eyes and stood still as she surveyed her surroundings.

"What a crafty human." Medusa mused to herself. She had to admit, it's been a while since she's ever been pushed this far. It's been entertaining and a little bit fun to actually be close to fighting seriously.

"Now... Where are you?" Medusa thought. Suddenly, she felt someone flanking to her left and lunging at her.

Medusa licked her lips before she spun to her left and delivered another kick that was aimed for the youngman's head and would take it off in a single strike.

Seeing the look of surprise on her attackers face, she grinned. "Got you." Her foot crashed into the man's head with a sickening crack. Medusa's grin suddenly turned into surprise, however, when the mans head shattered into pieces of stone like pottery.

"Magecraft?" Medusa thought to herself in surprise as she detected a small amount of energy inside of the clone. She cursed herself for being so careless. If she wasn't so focused on finding one opponent, she could have seen where the real one happened to be.

She felt someone moving in from behind her and quickly spun around. She suddenly felt the wind get knocked out of her as she was sent flying back by a kick to her abdomen.

She tried to stand up, but she found herself being pinned to the ground with a foot lying atop her stomach. Looking up into her attackers face, she saw a mix of sadness and... pity?

"Look." Kuro began as he kept samahada inches away from Medusa's neck. "This wouldn't have happened if you listened to what I said."

She couldn't say anything to that. What he said was kind of true. Still, this was how it would end for her? Beaten and bruised on her back? Oh well. At least she could finally be released of this torture.

"Medusa!" A voice cried out. Kuro and Medusa turned in surprise and saw a boy running towards them. While Medusa suddenly gained a sense of worry, Kuro had a look of confusion on his face.

"Let my mother go!" The kid cried out with a worried look.

Kuro frowned a bit at that. Since when did this Medusa had a kid? He gave the kid a once over and tried to figure out who he was. He was wearing a tunic that was woven with golden silk and had a golden sword strapped to his side.

"Uh... who are you?" Kuro asked with a tilt of his head.

"I am Chrysaor!" The kid replied.

Kuro's eyes widened a little at that. In greek mythology, it was said that Medusa had two sons. Pegasus, and Chrysaor. Both of them springing out of her neck when she was decapitated by perserus.

But that was his worlds Medusa. This universes Medusa had a slightly different life in comparison. He was also sure that the Fate lore didn't say anything about Medusa having a son.

It was probably a fluctuation in this universe. When they used the machine to travel here, it must have gone to a slightly different universe with slight changes to the characters history.

He should have acounted for this. Screw ups in the fate franchise was all too common. Hell, one man had the power to practically go between these universes and do whatever he wanted to do for fun.

Still, this presents to him a new problem. He simply didn't know what to do. The kid wasn't a threat, but he couldn't bring himself to harm him, unlike with Medusa. He was still too young!

"Chrysaor, hm?" Kuro mused out loud. "Interesting name."

Taken aback by such a blunt answer, Chrysaor and Medusa just stared at him in surprise. He gently lifted his foot off of Medusa and placed his hand on her ribs.

"Sorry about that." Kuro apologized as he began using a healing jutsu to fix up her broken ribs. "I was in the heat of the moment."

Medusa just remained silent, too surprised by his actions to even speak. Once he had finished mending her broken bones, he stood up and turned to the young boy.

"You're pretty bold kid. If it was any other person, you would have been slaughtered." Kuro said with a small smile. "Still, your heart is in the right place, I guess."

"Don't hurt him." Medusa pleaded as she stood up by using the tree to support her. She had quickly slipped on a blindfold when Chrysaor arrived, but Kuro could tell that she had a pleading look on her face.

"What ever makes you think I would do that?" Kuro asked with a snort. "Killing kids is something that I don't really favor." He shouldered his blade and sighed. "Now do you believe me when I say that I'm not here to kill you?"

"..." Medusa just remained silent. In all of her time here, she never met a human being who didn't want to kill her. She had gotten so accustomed to it that this type of person was alien to her.

Embarrassingly, She wasn't able to detect a hint of deception in his voice. He could have killed her if he wanted to. Yet, he refrained from doing so even with the upper hand.

This human was an odd one. Perhaps he could be trusted... for now. She'll just have to keep a close eye on him.

"Fine." Medusa said after a quick moment of silence. "I believe you." She lowered her weapons and leaned back against the tree. "I do hope you can understand my reaction."

kuro waved his hands. "It's not like I wasn't expecting it. No need for you to apologize." He gazed off towards the sea and saw that the ship had already been reduced to nothing more than a dot in the distance.

Chrysaor followed his gaze and frowned. "Is that your ship?"

Kuro nodded. "Mhm. Technically, it's not mine. I just ordered them to pull back the second they dropped off the load." He sighed. "Man... Walking back is going to be a huge pain in the ass."

"Walk back?" Chrysaor asked with an incredilous look.

"Don't mind me." Kuro said with a dissmissive wave. "Anyways, seeing as how much traveling I'm going to have to do to get back home, you wouldn't mind if I stayed for a day, right?"

Medusa frowned at that. While she didn't have any problem with not killing the young man in front of her. She did, however, fell conflicted about actually letting him stay here. No mortal has ever lived to see her place of rest and revealing it would be like revealing something important to her.

Still... He hasn't done anything she would call deception. Perhaps she could allow it just this once.

But then there were her sisters. How would they react with her bringing a mortal to their camp?

No man has ever been able to resist her sisters charms and usually will do anything to gain their approval, allowing her sisters to bend men to their will with their beauty.

If he fell prey to their beauty, then there was nothing she could really do for him. She frowned a little at that. Why did she even care?

Perhaps it was because of the man's polite nature? Maybe, but it was only right of her to pay him back.

"Only one day." Medusa said seriously. "That's the best I can do for you without angering my sisters."

Kuro nodded with a slight bow. "Thank you."

Medusa didn't say anything. She just turned around and began walking back into the woods. Chrysaor didn't seem put off with having him stay and just followed behind her like a good little boy.

"...That went better than I thought it would." Kuro muttered to himsefl as he followed after them.

The island was actually quite pretty if you could just ignore the random statues that were scattered around the area. Seriously, how were people dumb enough to even bother attempting to slay her?

As far as he knew, she didn't really go around attacking people. Perhaps there was a really sweet reward for killing her?

either that, or people in this era are dumb as bricks.

He followed Medusa and Chrysaor out of the forest and into a clearing that was literaly covered with statues of heroes. Although, most of the statues had decayed and withered from erosion.

"...That's alot of statues." Kuro commented as he poked a random statue on the nose.

"Yep! there's at least 4000 statues around the island. Give or take a few." Chrysaor said with a thoughtful expression.

"There's 4675 statues. Counting the three I just petrified earlier." Medusa said without looking back.

"Really, mom? How do you know that?" Chrysaor asked.

"I keep track." Medusa said dismissively before she turned around and faced Kuro. "We're here now. If you know what's good for you, don't make any move towards my sisters."

Kuro frowned. "Are they dangerous?"

"In their own way." Chrysaor said with a shrug. "Aunty Stheno and Aunty Euryale are really beautiful. If you don't have any self control, you'll be bent to their will like all the other men."

"Oh come on, kid." Kuro said with a shrug. "If I haven't fallen in love with your beautiful mother, what makes you think that I'll fall for her sisters?"

Medusa nearly faceplanted into the ground at that statement. Beautiful? She wasn't beautiful. Her sisters were beautiful. She may be a goddess, but her figure was too big. She couldn't be held in the arms of men like her sisters can.

Still, she was never called beautiful before. There was some kind of weird feeling in her stomach and she couldn't place it. She kept her face forward to prevent them from seeing her face. She was afraird that she was blushing.

Chrysaor looked between the two adults before speaking. "Er... Just try to keep it from showing, alright?"

Kuro waved his arm. "I don't exactly go around asking for sex. Lead the way."

Medusa just remained silent and parted the bushes aside before walking into a clearing. Sitting in the middle of the clearing, was an old stone temple that looked like it had been sitting there for years.

Standing in front of the temple entrance were two women. It would have been believeable if they were both sisters if it wasn't for the fact that they were disturbingly identical in every way.

They were more like clones of each other. Extremely young and beautiful clones that looked like they had been rolling around in a spa.

"Medusa!" One of the women cried out as she saw them. "Where in hades were you? You just took off without saying where you were going! We had to sent Chrysaor after you!"

Medusa flinched a little. "Sorry, Stheno. I was busy with taking care of some uninvited guests."

"You were, were you?" The other woman said with a haughty tone before she turned her attention on kuro. "And who, pray tell, are you? Are you another man seeking to court me and my sister?"

Kuro was about to speak up but Medusa beat him to it. "He's a guest, Euryale. I dueled him and lost. He spared me on the acount that I would let him rest here for a day before he headed off tommorow."

"Yeah! Can't we let him stay for a day? Please, Aunty Stheno, Aunty Euryale?" Chrysaor begged as he flashed his puppy dog eyes.

Being women, the effect was instantaneous. "Oh... alright. Just keep an eye on him." Stheno and Euryale said at the exact same time. It was kind of creepy with how in synch they were.

"Er... Thank you." Kuro said with a small bow. "I promise I won't do anything to cause you any trouble."

Stheno and Euryale sized him up before sighing and walking away in perfect unison. He turned back to Medusa and raised an eyebrow.

"Are they always in sync?" Kuro asked.

Medusa felt a small smile form at the corner of her lips. "Yes."

"ooookay. I'll just stay far away from them as much as possible." Kuro muttered before he turned to Chrysaor. "Oy, kid."

"Yes?"

"Want to cross blades?" Kuro asked as he gestured to Chrysaor's golden sword. "You have a nice sword and a strong pair of arms. So how about it?"

Chrysaor looked like christmas had come early for him. He turned to Medusa and flashed another pair of puppy dog eyes. "Can I? Please?"

Medusa sent Kuro and uneasy look. Seeing this, he placed his hands up in a placating gesture.

"I'll go easy on the kid. If you want to watch, that will be fine." Kuro said with a soft look. Medusa relaxed and nodded her head.

"Alright... Just don't get too crazy." Medusa said in a quiet voice. Kuro smiled and wrapped his arm around Chrysaor's shoulder.

"Alright, kid. Let's see what you've got."

* * *

 **happy new year everybody! I pumped this chapter out on time just for you guys!**

 **I've been on a cruise for the past four days and unfortunately didn't have access to wifi on board. Mostly because I was too stingy to pay for it.**

 **But I just typed this out at the airport. Where they had their own free wifi. yay!**

 **Anyways. For those of you who don't know who Chrysaor is, look him up on wikipedia. He's the son of Medusa and the brother to pegasus. Sometime later, he became a king of some sort, but details aren't really known.**

 **He's not really mentioned in the backstory of 'this' Medusa, but I thought it would be interesting to add him.**

 **And I know that some of these historical events may be out of order, but it's honestly confusing to even try to line them up.**

 **Now that that's over, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	11. The pasta monster

Killing the monster had been the easy part. The hardest part was having to answer the questions of the waiting crewmen back at the ship.

The second they had set both of their feet back on the ship, they were bombarded with questions from all sides.

"How did you do that?"

"Where did you get those weapons?"

"Are you a son of zeus?"

It was extremely awkward for the two of them. They weren't used to all of this praise from the crew members. Especially with the stare Heracles was giving them. Kinda creepy.

At first, they debated on whether to lie to them. They could say they just had the blessings of Posideon and Zeus. However, that would be a pretty good way for them to be blasted by a bolt of lightning or swamped by a tidal wave.

One: Hercules was right there and probably could tell right away that they were bullshiting since he was a son of zeus himself.

two: Zeus and Posideon weren't really the best of buddies. The chance of both of them giving blessings to the same person would be below zero.

So they decided to simply shorten the truth a little bit. They just explained that they learned to utilize magecraft and simply used one of the higher tier spells.

Since no one on the ship had any experience with magecraft, the two of them managed to get off scott free. Really, it was amazing how easy it was to fool these people.

Then again, these were the people who thought it was a good idea to have a person like Zeus as the ruler of the universe. A trigger happy lightning bolt thrower isn't exactly what one might call a suitable candidate for the ruler of the earth.

Atalanta was the only one who seemed a little bit suspicious about the claim. Still, she was polite enough not to press at the matter.

The argo had already been traveling for more than twenty-four ours and the crew needed a little bit of a reprieve.

Hey, they finally got what they came for. They deserved to have a little bit of a break here and there for their troubles.

The argo was low on supplies since Jason forgot to stock up on some back in Colchis. He was too busy getting excited about retrieving the Fleece to even care about trivial matters such as food and water.

Luckily, there was a town nearby that probably had some men willing enough to part with their goods... for a price.

They had pulled into the harbor and the crew all fanned out to go grab their supplies and take a little break for the next hour. Alex and Desmond had wandered off into the nearby woods to find some fruit to eat. The market was selling boar meat and all of the essential foods except for fruit.

While most people could care less about missing out on having fruit in their diet, they preferred to have a balanced diet. Probably something their parents passed down onto them.

The trees had numerous amounts of apples growing among their branches. They just picked several off of the branches and just enjoyed the silence as they walked through the woods.

"What do you think the others are doing right now?" Alex asked as he took a bite out of his apple.

"Don't know." Desmond said simply. "Perhaps they're getting drunk at some tavern or something. Greeks did it all the time."

"Is it a good idea for them to get drunk when they're the ones in charge of rowing the boat?" Alex asked with a frown.

"I don't think a couple of beers are going to stop them." Desmond said with a dissmissive wave. However, there was a couple of stories about the argo that said the crew got heavily drunk and screwed up on their navigation. They ended up traveling in a complete circle in a daze.

The deadpan look in Alex's eyes really didn't show that he believed a single word that he said. "If we die because of drunk rowing, I'm going to strangle you when we get to the underworld."

"Duly noted." Desmond said as he stored that mental file in his mind. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks as he felt someone, or something, approaching them. "You sense that?"

Alex had stopped as well. "Of course I do. How could I not miss it?"

The thing approaching their position was radiating some kind of power. Alot of it to be more precise. The amount of power the thing radiated was enough to make both of the teens start sweating a little.

The large amount of power wasn't coming from behind them or in front of them. Not on the sides either. The only direction it could come from would be...

They looked up just in time to see a bolt of electricity descend from the heavens and strike the area in front of them. A buff man with grey hair and a simple greek tunic was standing in front of them with his muscles flexed.

"I am Zeus! Leader of the olympians! and I have descended from my throne to talk to you!" the man boomed with a flex of his muscles. Both teens could do nothing more than stare with agape mouths as they stared at the godly figure.

"...uh...er..." Alex stuttered with nervousness. "Dear god... just looking at him just makes me want to do pushups!"

Desmond wasn't faring any better. "...Are you really Zeus?"

The god frowned. "Kid, I just came down and appeared in front of you in the form of a thunderbolt, and you question if I am Zeus?"

"Uh... sorry sir. Do forgive my partners stupidity. He's just in too much shock to even process correctly." Alex stepped in quickly. Desmond shot him a glare but didn't say anything. Usually when someone said the wrong thing in front of a god, they were mostly blasted to smitherines or turned into an animal.

"Hmph. I will forgive that. I can understand being blinded by me." Zeus said with another flex.

"Er... Lord zeus, what are you doing all the way out here? Don't you usually hang out in other fancier places instead of the middle of some random forest with us measly mortals?" Desmond asked with a cautious look on his face.

"Hm? Oh yes, usually I hang out in much better places than this." Zeus said with a dissmissive wave before he frowned. "Wait... why am I here again?"

Alex and Desmond shot each other strange looks. If worse comes to worse, they were ready to get the hell out of there. Although, if Zeus started throwing lightning bolts around, there was nothing anybody was able to do to stop him. Perhaps the rinnegan could help them stand a chance, but that was a really low chance right now.

"Oh yes! I was here to come check you out!" Zeus said with a snap of his fingers.

"...er." Alex muttered. He slowly began inching away from the god. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sorry. Worded that wrong." Zeus said with a wave of his hand. "What I meant to say was, my wife told me about you. She's been looking after you since you left with the argonauts."

"Lady Hera has been looking after us?" Desmond asked with a frown. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"I don't know." Zeus said with a shrug. "I can never understand my wife. I mean, she gets mad whenever I have a kid with another woman. Can you believe it?"

That would make Hera's anger completely justifiable. Still, it would be best to kiss up to Zeus like it was completely normal to them.

"Seriously? Geez. I don't think any man will ever be able to tell what a woman is thinking." Desmond said with a dramatic nod of his head to emphasize his point.

"I'm glad it's not just me." Zeus said in agreement. "Back to the matter at hand. Hera has told me that one of you managed to fight against my son man to man, and fight on par with him."

"That would be me." Alex said with his arm raised. "Still, why did we grab your attention? It's not like we were the only human beings who could actually challenge your son, right?"

Zeus sized him up with his electric eyes. "My son has only been pressured by phantasmal beasts of great power. I don't think there has ever been another mortal that could challenge him."

"Oh... thank you, I guess." Alex said with an awkward bow.

"And you're not even a demigod! How did you acquire such skill for a mere mortal?" Zeus asked with a strange look in his eyes.

"Hm? Our skills?" Desmond echoed as he subtly sent Alex a look. "We had a teacher who taught us magecraft. Sadly, he's dead now. As for us, we taught ourselves how to perform hand to hand combat. Our weapons were gifts from the old man before he passed away."

"Good job, Desmond! You're such a bastard!" Alex thought with relief for his friends clever lying. Zeus didn't even bat an eye to it.

"Impressive! I never thought a mere mortal could achieve such strengths through training alone!" Zeus roared with approval as he sized them up. "I guess the both of you killing that giant abomination wasn't some kind of fluke after all."

This was a seriously weird and dangerous situation for them to be in. For one, nothing goes well when the gods personally intervene with your life. Still, they do tend to give you cool things if they approve of you.

"Hm... Perhaps you two are worthy of what I'm about to give you." Zeus muttered to himself.

"You're going to give us a gift, lord Zeus?" Desmond asked with his interest piqued.

"That depends. You'll have to pass a test first if you want it." Zeus said with a small grin.

"Name it! Any gift from the lord of the sky would be worth it!" Alex said with an excited look.

"Well... have you heard of the beast called the hydra?" Zeus asked.

"Eh? Serphent with nine heads that regenerate whenever you cut them off?" Desmond answered with a curious look.

"Correct. If you want the gifts I'm about to give you. Go out and kill one of them. My son managed to do it during one of his labors. His was also immortal." Zeus said with a proud gleam in his eyes.

"Wait... where are we supposed to find one of those things? I don't think there's plenty of them around." Alex said with a confused look.

Zeus smirked. "On the contrary..." He looked past the two teens and into the trees behind them. Suddenly, both boys spun around as the sounds of something large crashed through multiple trees towards their position.

It was a hydra. A huge mass of reptilian necks and heads that flailed around as the body charged towards them. All of the heads hissed and began spewing poison everywhere, melting parts of the forest into puddles of goop.

Alex nearly gulped when he saw the snake monster. Still, he had to look brave, least he look like a fool in front of the god of storms.

"You lead this thing here, didn't you?" Alex accused.

"Actually, Dementer sent this hydra here to punish the nearby townsfolk. Apparently they insulted her or something like that. I don't know all the details." Zeus said with a a wave of his hands. "Anyway. If you want your gifts. prove your worth by slaying this beast. I think the townsfolk have suffered long enough."

"We just killed a squid monster that was bigger than this thing!" Desmond complained.

"I assure you. The squid was nothing dangerous. This hydra, however, is another league compared to it." Zeus promised with an amused smile. "The monster will ignore me. I'll be watching you from a safe distanct, still. I don't want to get some acid on me. Good luck!" with that, Zeus dissapeared in an explosion of light.

"Son of a bi-"

Alex was rudely cut off as all of the hydras heads roared in his direction, sending spit everywhere.

"..." Alex remained silent as he stared down the beast. "Oh... not good."

Alex and Desmond cursed and dove to the side as the Hydra reared back all of its heads and shot a stream of acid towards them. The projectiles of goop disintegrated everything in its path and came close to hitting the unfortunate teens that were forced to fight it.

"Ok..." Desmond said as he tried to calm his nerves. "Do you have a plan to fight this giant pasta monster?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "You do know how Heracles killed his hydra, right?"

"I know. He used a torch to burn each of the necks as he decapitated the heads. Everybody knows that. What I'm more worried about is accidentally setting the entire forest on fire." Desmond said.

Even with the many trees surrounding them and the hydra, the serphent somehow manages to navigate around them easily. The nine heads hissed and slithered around the trees and disintegrated through the ones they couldn't

A fire jutsu would have been the best option to deal with the beast. However, a massive forest fire would just open a new batch of problems if it got out of control.

"!" Alex and desmond jumped backwards as two heads slammed down in the spots they once stood.

"How can something so huge move so fast?" Alex cursed as he dodged another strike from one of the heads.

"Dude, things are starting to smell bad!" Desmond warned as the smell of acid began filling the air. It didn't need to shoot acids from its mouth to expell it. Its acid was so strong that it leaked out of its body and into the surrounding atmosphere, carrying the fumes through the wind.

"Damn it." Alex grumbled as he continued to back up. "Desmond! We need some distance from this thing!"

Desmond didn't even need to be told twice. He turned around, and began hightailing out of there using chakra to propell him forward.

The hydra hissed and charged after them. Luckily, the surrounding trees slowed it down and prevented it from catching up easily. Alex fell in line with Desmond and continued to run at a steady pace.

"My sword's poison won't work on something like that. it's not exactly meant to be used against something that already has posion flowing through its veins." Desmond informed.

"Don't worry. As long as it can cut, we should be fine." Alex said as he held out his hands and concentrated. Using the Creation of all Things technique, he created a pair of masks with two large eye holes and a valve integrated into its design.

"Here." Alex said as he passed one of the masks to desmond. "They're Standard issue m40 field protective gas masks. Dad had one as a reminder when he came out of the military."

"Will these things work?" Desmond asked as he looked the mask over. "I mean, hydra poison is extremely potent. Do you think masks like these can filter most of it out?"

"Not all of it, no." Alex said as he slipped his on. When he spoke, his voice sounded a little bit like darth vader. "They'll make it easier on us, though. Against a monster like this, we need all the advantages we can get."

"Tch." Desmond muttered in agreement as he slipped his mask on. "Alright, what's the plan then?"

"fire jutsu." Alex said simply. "Don't worry. Once the hydra is dead, we can use water jutsu to put out the fire."

"Alright." Desmond said as he peeked out from behind a tree and found the Hydra roaring towards their position, spitting acid everywhere.

"Let's go!" Desmond yelled as he sprinted towards the Hydra with his sword in hand. Alex followed after him from above, using the tree branches to gain the high ground.

Seeing two tasty morsels running towards it, the hydra hissed in delight. It spat a literal tidal wave of acid, causing both teens to jump over it to dodge it.

"Fire style: Great fire annihilation!" Desmond called out as he made several handsigns. He blew an enferno a fire that burned straight towards the hydra.

Seeing this, the snake monster decided it would be in its best interest to back off a little bit. It slithered out of the flames reach and recoiled at the amount of heat.

The surrounding trees caught fire and the Hydra hissed in annoyance. Pesky fire was getting in the way of its meal!

Naturally, like any other animal that finds something a threat, it began to attack it relentlessly. The hydra began shooting off acid at the fire as if it would actually do anything to douse it.

Seeing that the Hydra was too busy attacking the fire, both teens began flanking it slowly. Desmond was glad that they were wearing their masks. Otherwise, he would have fainted a long time ago. The posion being excluded by the monster was enough to nearly make him puke. He refrained from doing so, since he didn't want to know what would happen if he threw up in his mask.

He looked over at where Alex was, and signaled for the second part in their master plan. Alex nodded, and both of them made several handsigns.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"

Both teens blew out a large fireball the size of a large tree, taking the hydra by surprise as the twin projectiles zoomed towards him.

The hydra let out a hiss of surprise as it tried to slither out of the way. Sadly, with all of its heads panicking, the body couldn't really go anywhere.

The fireballs exploded against the Hydra, causing it to now let out a hiss of pain which probably translated to, "OWWWWWWWW!" in snake language.

Unfortunately, the now dying hydra, was spitting acid everywhere by the bucketloads. Alex and Desmond backed away as a stream of poison covered the area they were standing in.

Desmond and Alex quickly drew their swords and charged in. One by one, they carefully began cutting off the heads as the hydra flailed around. They were nearly melted into goop or crushed by a flailing body part several times, but they managed to cut off all of the heads.

The stumps where the heads used to be started to swell up for a moment as the heads tried to regenerate. A few seconds later, there was a burning snake carcass on the ground as the Flames prevented the heads from respawning.

Alex and Desmond would have gotten closer to make sure if it was dead. Fortunately, the ensuing smell quickly confirmed their suspicions.

"Oh, damn!" Alex cursed as he struggled not to throw up. "This thing smells terrible!"

"It's dead, what did you expect it to do? Dissapear without a trace?" Desmond muttered as began breathing through his mouth.

"Well done, you two. You duel like a true demigod hero!" Zeus applauded as he appeared from behind a tree.

"Thank you, lord Zeus." Alex said with a bow. Inside, however, he was silently cursing the God for putting them up to this.

"So... Do we get our prizes?" Desmond asked with an excited look.

"Of course! You have passed my little test, have you not?" With a snap of his fingers, two objects appeared in each of his hands.

Alex and Desmond's eyes widened as they examined the objects in his hand. In his right hand, a crude yellow spear with an extremely jagged tip rested comfortably. Sitting in his left hand, was a yellow sword with an equally jagged edge.

"Here are your rewards. Take them with pride." Zeus said as he tossed the weapons. Alex caught the spear, while Desmond caught the blade.

"Awesome..." Alex muttered as he examined the tip.

"Careful with that." Zeus warned. "The spears name is, Astredory, the lightning spear. The point is charged with electricity that shocks anyone it comes into contact with. Also, the spear is incredibly destructive when thrown."

"How destructive?" Alex asked as he continued to observe the weapon.

"The entire area it strikes will explode with electricity, vaporizing or frying anyone that happens to be caught in its viscinity. Also, it will return to your hand should you call for it." Zeus said with a gleam in his eyes.

"Sweet..." Alex muttered as he cradled the weapon like a parent.

"As for you," Zeus turned to Desmond. "Your weapon is Astresparta, the lightning sword. It's just like the spear, only in sword form."

"Cool." Desmond said halfheartedly. He suddenly found himself with the short end of the stick.

"I give you my blessings, Alex, Desmond. Now go, and acompany the argonauts back home. Be warned, should you ever misuse these gifts, I will personaly come down from olympush to kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?" Zeus asked with a stern tone.

"yes sir!" Both teens said with a salute.

"Good. Now hurry, your companions are here."

"I smell a hydra! I must kill it!" A voice that belonged to Heracles roared in the distance.

"That's my cue to leave." Zeus muttered as he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Alex and Desmond alone with two new awesome weapons and a giant eight headed corpse.

"What a generous dude." Desmond grumbled as he stared at the blade.

"Don't be such a downer! Using it in conjunction with your poisoned sword, will be a real combo!" Alex said with a smile as he held his own weapon. "This lance will be useful for longer ranges and the kiba swords don't exactly excell in defense."

"Whatever." Desmond muttered as he held the sword in his hands. Suddenly, Heracles had chosen that moment to burst out of the treeline and into the area with his club swinging.

"WHERE'S THE HYDRA LET ME AT 'EM! ILL BREAK OF ITS HEADS LIKE TWIGS!" Heracles roared as he charged towards the corpse with his club. Atalanta was jogging after him with an annoyed expression.

"Heracles, Calm down. The hydra is obviously dead." Atalanta said with a level tone.

"WHAT?! But who had the inmpenetrable balls of steel to defeat that mighty bitch?!" Heracles asked.

"I think Desmond and Alex did." Atalanta muttered when her eyes fell upon them.

"...Sup." Desmond said lamely as he watched Heracles begin pounding his club into the corpse with frustration.

"I wanted to have a good fight! Why do the good parts start whenever I'm not around?!" Heracles cried as he continued to whale on the hydra corpse.

"To be fair, Zeus put us up to this." Alex said, causing Atalanta and Heracles to look at him in surprise.

"Dad was here?" Heracles asked with narrow eyes.

"Yeah. gave us these cool new tools." Alex said as he waved his new spear around. "Apparently he got curious about us after hearing about us from Hera."

"Hera..." Heracles growled. "I wouldn't trust her if I were you. She's as nasty as they go."

"Please don't go smashing things up again, Heracles." Atalanta said with a sigh. "The last time it happened, you almost killed several crewmembers."

"I said, I was sorry about that." Heracles grumbled before he eyed the weapons. "Those things are dangerous. Try not to kill yourself on accident."

"We're not idiots, Heracles." Desmond grumbled before he began heading back to the Argo. "I'm going to take a nap. I'm too tired to do anything." With that, he leapt into the trees and disappeared. Heracles grumbled something before lumbering off after him, leaving Alex and Atalanta alone.

"So..." Alex began. "What have you been doing?"

Atalanta shrugged. "Nothing much. Walking around, mostly."

"What about the rest of the crew?" Alex asked.

"They're getting drunk at a tavern somewhere. Didn't stick around to find out." Atalanta said with a distasteful look. Alex chuckled and shouldered his spear.

"Well, since I'm in such a good mood, why don't I treat you to some food? I'll pay." Alex offered with a grin.

Atalanta cocked her head. "I prefer to get my food from the wild, not at the market."

"Oh don't be such a spoilsport!" Alex chided as he looped an arm around her. "If you feel that way, let's go and hunt some game, kay?"

"Game?" Atalanta echoed.

"Ah, that's right. It's just a term I use for hunting animals, you see." Alex said with a dismissive wave. He totally forgot that people don't use that term at this time.

"I see..." Atalanta said with a confused look before she shrugged. "Alright, let's go hunting."

"Yay! Don't worry, I won't be deadweight, I promise." Alex said with a smile before he walked off into the woods.

Atalanta sighed and shook her head, but there was a smile plastered onto her face. "geez... What a handful." she muttered in amusement before she jogged after him.


	12. gods

Kuro sighed as he gazed out into the ocean. He had a little duel with Chrysaor, and won. The kid had moves, but he was still too young and small to actually do anything lethal or threatening. He was definitely stronger than the average young boy, though.

The kid wasn't as cynical about humans like his mother, but he still seemed to be a little bit cautious around him. Medusa also seemed to be warming up to him, but she always kept her distance like she was expecting him to just jump her and cut her to pieces when she wasn't looking.

Her older sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were the ones who seemed to be bothered by him the most. No wonder, considering that they were practically made on the wishes of people for an idea lady. One to be used and abused by others.

He couldn't deny that they were very beautiful, it would be a lie to say otherwise. Still, he didn't understand why men would dare set foot on this land for them. Risking everything for women you've never met before? Stupid and dumb.

After the little duel with Chrysaor, he had decided to go and take a little walk to get rid of the adrenalin rush that was currently pumping through his body. Plus, it would allow the others to get used to him until tomorrow.

He ran his hand along one of the nearby trees. This place was extremely beautiful for an abandoned island that was supposed to house a monster. No wonder most of the kingdoms can't even find this place. They probably just skim right past it. It flourished and had the beauty to rival the Bahamas. Medusa must have gotten lucky to land here after her exile.

The thought made him frown a little. He didn't think it was right of her to be stuck on an island like this. Having heroes and men seeking glory coming here to kill you would definitely not make this place actually worthwhile. She was blessed to even have her sisters stay with her here on the island.

He continued to stare off into the ocean as the sun began setting down over the horizon. Suddenly, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Bubbles were bubbling not too far off from the shore, and they seem to be approaching fast.

He frowned. Odd. The temperature of the sea wasn't supposed to be at the boiling point. When he arrived here, the waves and the temperature seemed to be pretty normal. The only answer he could come up with would be some kind of mythical force at work.

He stood up and backed into the shadow of a nearby tree to watch what was going to happen. The tree casted a dark enough shadow to cover him up and hide his form easily. The only way someone would be able to see him easily was to practically walk in front of him.

He kept his eyes peeled on the crowd of bubbles as it moved towards the shoreline. When the bubbles were nearly at the shore, something dark began rising out of the water. It was black, clumpy, and very wet.

"What is that thing?" Kuro thought as the object continued to rise out of the water. "Seaweed? Kelp?" Suddenly, the sun's rays glistened off of something white beneath the black tuft, revealing what looked to be a body underneath. "The hell? Hair?"

His suspicions were confirmed when a man stepped out of the water with nothing but a tunic wrapped around his waist, covering his nether area. If he had to describe him, he would say that he looked like one of those athletic fit surfers with killer abs. This man outdid them all with muscles and lines bulging from his body like he constantly uses 5000 pound weights everyday to exercise. Anything less would have probably been too easy.

The man looked to be about middle aged. 30 or 40, maybe? He had a scruffy dark beard and blue eyes that reminded him of the color of the sea. On his back, a huge golden trident was strapped there comfortably. The weapon had three points, and radiated power that made it seem like a bomb about to go off at a moments notice.

It was obvious who the guy was. There was only one person in greek mythology who wielded a trident. Considering that the trident was radiating godly power like a waterfall, it was a no-brainer to figure out who he was.

Poseidon: god of the sea, earthquakes, horses, Etc.

Kuro suddenly felt like he had hundreds of assault rifles and missiles aimed at him. Medusa and her sisters were people who could take on and probably come out on top with a little bit of effort. A legendary god that was among the strongest? Not so much.

Plus, they were near the sea right now. If poseidon decided to get angsty and attack him, he would be fighting in the gods territory. Here, there was no way he could take him on in a head on fight of power moves and jutsu. He was outclassed.

Poseidon took his first few steps onto the sandy beach before frowning. He turned his head in Kuro's direction and called out. "Alright... who is there? Show yourself! The sea king demands it!"

Kuro felt the thousands of guns clicking their hammers as the command reached his ear. With a calming breath, he stepped out of the shadow and into the life. Upon his appearance, the gods face contorted into surprise.

"What's this? A mortal on Medusa's island?" Poseidon said with a surprised look. "I assume you are another foolish mortal whose here to come and slay medusa?"

"Er... no, lord Poseidon." Kuro said with a reverent bow. "You see... I was tasked with sending some unrighteous men here on orders from my king."

Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "A courier, eh? Then why haven't you left already? Surely you know that staying on this island is suicide, right?"

"Simple curiosity." Kuro replied. "No one's ever actually seen Medusa and live to tell the tale. The curiosity was just too great."

Poseidon raised his eyebrows at that. "You play a dangerous game. Medusa isn't someone who would just let you walk away. If she finds you, you'll probably never leave this island alive and instead become a gardening statue. Believe me, she's created a lot of those as of late."

"I know that. In fact, we've already met." Kuro said non-chalontly. "I have to admit, she was tough. If I wasn't able to resist her petrification, I would have died in the beginning."

Poseidon's eyebrows raised. "You've fought her and won?"

Kuro shrugged. "I didn't kill her if that's what you're asking, but that pretty much sums it up. She was generous enough to let me stay here for a single day before I return back to my kingdom. My king will be worried if I don't show up soon."

Poseidon sized him up as if he was a mechanic studying broken engine. "Hm... interesting. You are aware that Medusa has been branded as a monster, yes? Why spare her life and let her exist? Why not put her out of her misery?"

Kuro frowned. "That's not my style. As far as I know, she isn't really bothering anyone here. It's everyone else's fault for coming here to come kill her. She's completely justifiable in her actions in my opinion." He sighed. "Such a shame too. I thought she was a nice person, albeit a little bit quiet."

"I thought I've seen everything." Poseidon muttered to himself. "I never thought a human would actually think of Medusa as a nice person. The only company she ever has is her sisters and Chrysaor. I pop in from time to time to see how she's doing, but she always keeps her distance away from everyone. Humans especially."

"Eh... I have that effect on some people." Kuro said with a wave of his hand. "By the way, won't she know you're here? you gods aren't really that hard to find with all that power you're excluding."

"I'm containing it all right now. I don't want her to know I'm here." Poseidon said as he looked around cautiously.

"Who? Medusa?" Kuro questioned.

"No... My niece." Poseidon replied with an 'are you serious?' look. Kuro frowned at that for a moment. The olympian family tree was a little bit confusing. Poseidon could have been referring to the godly side of his family, or the mortal side. The gods tended to have a lot of kids with mortals. However, seeing as they are on Medusa's island, and the only god who would be keeping tabs on her from Poseidon's family would be...

"Athena?" Kuro echoed. "Is that who you're worried about?"

"Duh." Poseidon grumbled. "My niece may be the goddess of wisdom, but she doesn't act like it at times. She doesn't like it when the rest of us visit Medusa on occasion. If she finds out I'm here, she'll make me sit through an entire hour of nonstop berating! Believe me, any other god would rather give up their immortality than listen to Athena ranting on and on about the duties us gods have to abide by."

The godly family tree was absolutely far from normal or perfect. Most of them were known to strike down random people simply because they were bored. Once, Apollo killed a satyr for playing music that was almost as good as his. Another time, Zeus had decided to kill off the entire human race with a giant flood because they were getting too close to the gods for his comfort.

"Aren't you supposed to be stronger than her?" Kuro questioned. "Surely one of the strongest gods like you could take down someone like her, right?"

Poseidon sighed. "While I do thank you for your praise, Athena is someone you don't want to get into a fight with. She's the goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare. Should we ever fight, I highly doubt that I could get out unscathed. Although, I'm sure I could win hands down. She tends to overthink things too much."

Olympic squabbles do tend to be extreme. Hera threw Hephaestus out of olympus and into the earth below, simply because he was crippled. Then there was Aphrodite and Ares, whom he really didn't need to think much about.

"UNCLE POSEIDON!" A female voice screeched from the heavens. Poseidon spun around just in time to see a female figure crash land into the sandy beach, charring the surrounding sand into glass. When the light cleared, a brown haired woman with grey eyes and a battledress stood in place with a stern look. She had a spear in one hand, and a shield strapped to the other. Her grey eyes looked like storm clouds, and they were currently trained on both of the men in front of her.

"Overthinks things too much, eh? While you may be my uncle, I will not hesitate to beat some sense into that empty skull of yours," The woman hissed. Considering that she was calling Poseidon uncle, it was easy to figure out who she was.

"Athena, my sweet," Poseidon said slowly and carefully. "You know I didn't mean anything about it, right?"

Kuro shot the god of the sea a deadpan look. At the first sign of danger from his godly family, he starts acting like a baby? Although, he couldn't really blame him. Women could be very scary when they wanted to. A scary women who happened to be the goddess of strategic warfare? Not someone you'd want to have train their sights on you.

"Be that as it may, Uncle. I do wonder to myself why you would ever set foot on this wretched island." Athena said with clear distaste before she turned to kuro. "As for you, go scuttle back to your little kingdom. This island is no place for people like you."

Before kuro could even open his mouth and retort that she was being such a bitch, Poseidon beat him to it.

"Athena, it is all your fault that this island has become as wretched as you say it is." Poseidon shot back. "You let jealousy get the better of you. Medusa had done no wrong to you, nor has she ever wanted to. Yet, you banish her here and implant the false thoughts of her monstrosity onto the mortals who were foolish enough to believe you."

"Don't get all high and mighty on me, Barnacle Beard." Athena retorted. "You're not any better. You have no right to lecture me about right and wrong when you yourself can't seem to abide by those rules either."

"It is true that I may not abide by those rules from time to time, but I try to follow them." Poseidon growled. "What you have done to Medusa is inexcusable! All of this was born of your jealousy towards her beauty. The other gods don't necessarily approve of your actions, either. You're lucky that the olympian council decided to turn a blind eye on it because you were my brothers daughter."

Kuro looked between the two immortal beings and was seriously wondering if he should even be here. if these two decided to have a family argument, the entire area might not even be here anymore in the next five minutes.

"You know... shouldn't you two go somewhere more secluded if you're going to have an all out brawl here?" Kuro asked.

Athena scowled. "Stay out of this, least I blast you into oblivion, mortal."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Poseidon said as he stepped in front of Kuro, surprising the goddess. "Do not involve mortals in our affairs. Especially one as pure hearted as this one."

"Protecting a mortal, Poseidon? Now I've seen everything." Athena muttered with a shake of her head. "The mortal shouldn't even be here. Why has Medusa not come and destroy him?"

"This young man has managed to best Medusa in a one on one fight. As compensation for sparing her life, she has allowed him to stay for the night before he returned back to his kingdom." Poseidon explained, causing Athena's eyes to widen.

"Is this true, mortal?" Athena asked as she eyed Kuro.

Kuro nodded. "Uh... yes. It was a little bit difficult, but I managed."

"Then tell me, why didn't you end her life?" Athena questioned.

Kuro was about to reply when he stopped in realization. Athena's eyes were still hard and serious, but there was a sense of distaste in them. Kind of like she was disappointed that Kuro didn't kill Medusa. Why? If she hated her that much, why didn't she just do the deed herself? She's a goddess, she could do anything!

It didn't make sense at first, until he put the pieces together. Athena was one of the most important goddess in greek culture. She was the goddess of weaving, strategic warfare, and wisdom. Many people would go to her temple and asks for guidance with their problems. However, being a goddess of wisdom has given her a flaw.

She was too prideful for her own good.

She was jealous when someone was better than her at something. She was the goddess of wisdom! She has mastered almost everything that could be found on Gaia itself! Meeting Medusa, a woman who was more beautiful than her, was too much for her to handle, cursing the former goddess here as a monster to be feared all throughout Greece.

Of course, she must have felt guilty at her actions, but what could she do? She was too prideful to simply Kill Medusa now, because that would have gone against her original punishment for her. She couldn't just take everything back because that would also go against her pride. The only way she could get out of this without making a fool of herself is to get someone else to kill Medusa for her.

"I don't know. Why do you feel guilt for doing what you did?" Kuro asked.

"W-what could you possibly mean by that?" Athena stuttered, completely taken off guard by the question.

"You feel guilty for what you did to Medusa, don't you? You can't admit it because you're too prideful. That's why you needed someone else to go and kill Medusa so you can live on and not speak of it again." kuro said with a shake of his head. "Not a great plan."

Poseidon fixed his eyes on Athena, who looked like she was on the verge of panic. "Is this true, Athena?"

"No! That isn't true! This mortal lies!" Athena cried out.

"Do not lie to me, Athena." Poseidon warned with a stern tone as he slowly began gripping his trident.

Athena was silent for a moment as she tried to gather her courage. "Fine... I admit, the mortal is right in his assumption. I do feel guilty about what I have done to Medusa, but I can't find the heart to ask for her forgiveness, nor could I explain myself to the other olympians."

Poseidon frowned at that. "Athena, you know the others wouldn't berate you for it. We've all done similar things in the past. It's not something that you should be too ashamed of."

Kuro rolled his eyes. Nothing to be ashamed of? The gods did many cruel things to random humans who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, being a god kind of makes them an entirely separate species. They don't think like a normal human beings do, and they don't take them seriously because of their own power.

Still, there was no stopping him. He couldn't just let this woman walk away without some form of rebuke. Goddess or not, he couldn't really hold back on his opinion.

"You know... for the goddess of wisdom, you're acting like a fool right now." Kuro said with a small glare. He half expected Athena or Poseidon to blast him on the spot for such an accusation, but none of them made a move. In fact, Athena just continued to bow her head in shame.

"That just makes it worse. Can you imagine what it would be like on olympus? The wisdom goddess performing an act that doesn't support her title will receive criticism amongst the others. I can't have that. None of them take me seriously in the first place because of my status as a woman. Once this gets out, I will become the laughing stalk of olympus." Athena said with a shameful look.

Kuro felt like he should just say about how greedy and selfish that was, but he couldn't. In truth, he knew how it felt when no one ever took you seriously. At his school, your reputation was based on what occupation you did: Sports, class, Etc. Kids in the sports division were the cool kids in the school, while the others that focused on education often were bullied by the others.

He happened to find himself in the education group. Since nobody took him seriously, he decided to stick up for himself. The next time he had gotten bullied, he had busted their teeth in. Sure, it had gotten him sent to the principals office, but nobody messed with him after that.

It wasn't something he enjoyed. The thought of brutally hurting someone else just because of something trivial like their status seemed like a huge waste of time and effort for him. Still, he could understand how it felt to be the one at the bottom of the barrel.

Greece really was a messed up place.

"My dear... you know that us gods aren't very wise. Even you, the goddess of wisdom, will act brashly in some situations. However, that's just how us gods are. We will live far past the age of regular mortals and never age. We are bound to make many mistakes." Poseidon said sagely.

"Yeah... many mistakes." Kuro thought to himself.

"What you need to do right now is the right thing. Revoke Medusa of her punishment and let her live once again with civilization." Poseidon said as he placed a hand on Athena's shoulder.

Athena looked like she wanted to argue, but she quickly backed down once she realized that she had no way of getting out of this one. She let out a sigh and turned to Kuro.

"Boy, tell Medusa that she will be free of her punishment. But first, she must do one thing for me." Athena said.

Kuro frowned. "uh... alright."

"I have sent a champion of mine named Perseus to this island to slay Medusa." Athena said with a sigh. "The foolish boy swore on the river of styx that he would bring back Medusa's head in return for his mother."

"Wait... then how is Medusa supposed to do this?" Kuro asked.

"She will go with him. He won't be breaking his vow if Medusa brings herself there." Athena explained with a sly smile, causing Poseidon and Kuro to deadpan. Apparently the god of trickery didn't just apply to Hermes.

"Wait... whose Perseus?" Poseidon asked with a confused look.

"Dad's kid." Athena said with a wave of her hand.

"that explains it... He always seems to have a lot of those." Poseidon said with a stroke of his beard. Athena didn't say anything, but she turned back to kuro.

"When you tell Medusa of the deal, I want you to tell her I'm sorry." Athena said as she managed to force the words out. It was a cowardly decision, but Kuro decided to just honor it. There wasn't anything to gain from berating her.

"I will." Kuro promised. Athena nodded and disappeared into golden particles. Kuro was silent for a moment before he turned to the god of the sea.

"...Aren't you going to go visit Medusa?" Kuro asked.

Poseidon sighed. "I must stay with my niece. She will have to explain herself when she gets back, and I should probably be there for her. Give Medusa my regards once you deliver the information."

"Hm. I understand." Kuro said with a polite nod. Before he could leave, however, Poseidon stopped him.

"Wait." Poseidon spoke up. He held his hand out, and a long object appeared in this hand. "Take this. Consider it as a reward for the selflessness and courage that you have displayed today."

Kuro eyed the object in the gods hand, and found his pupils widening in surprise. Resting in the gods hand, was a long spear that had a single jagged point. It was blue in design, just like the color of the sea. However, the smell of blood reeked from the object.

"This, is **Aima:** **The blood river.** It's a weapon I've had in my possession for some time." Poseidon explained.

"It smells like blood and death." Kuro said as he eyed the weapon with caution.

"It was how it was built. I was gifted it in an offering from one of my cyclops. However, it was too bloodthirsty for my taste, so I never used it." Poseidon said with a shrug. "The weapon is meant for only one thing. Killing. It seeks out the targets blood like moths to a flame."

"Nasty." Kuro said.

"Indeed." Poseidon said in agreement. "Once thrown, it will seek out the opponent by being attracted by the blood that's stored in their body, and hit with the full fury of the sea. The only way to prevent death is to take it head on."

"Sounds like the Gae bolg." Kuro thought to himself.

"I trust this to you because I have a feeling that you will use it for good. Whatever you do, never succumb to the bloodlust of this spear. I don't know what will happen if you do, but it can't be good. That's the reason why I haven't given it to anybody. Not even my own sons." Poseidon said with a shake of his head. "Perhaps Ares would have loved to have this weapon and add it to his collection, but that would be a terrible idea."

That was something Kuro could agree on. Having a cursed spear that yearned for blood in the hands of the god of war would not be good for anyone. Apparently the other gods were smart enough to see that possibility.

He didn't feel comfortable taking a spear like this. Samehada's thirst for killing others paled in comparison to the weapon in front of him. It didn't possess Samehada's animalistic thirst, but instead lived for simply killing whatever it hits. Friend, or foe.

Still, he couldn't just deny this gift. No doubt Poseidon would find that rude or insulting. Slowly, he grasped the blue pole of death in his hand and carefully held it in his hand. It was balanced perfectly, no two sides weighed differently.

"Balanced perfectly, eight feet long, and blue. The perfect weapon if you want my personal opinion. Thanks lord posei-" Kuro faltered as he looked back up and found that Poseidon had vanished like he had never been here. He looked around for several seconds before sighing and heading back into the forest. He had to go and break the news to Medusa. He didn't know how she would react, but he hoped it wouldn't be anything too drastic.

After all, being at the end of a woman's rage was something he didn't need right now.

* * *

 **I felt really lazy when I began writing this chapter. I wrote two thousand words the day after the last chapter, and haven't touched it until now. Perhaps I'm getting lazy? I'm not sure.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will come up sooner than this one since I get a five day break from school. Stay tuned until then!**

 **-baloshua**


	13. First it was there now its not

For an age where gods and magic were everywhere, the transportation was as slow as a snail.

Honestly, if the greeks were really genius inventors, how come they haven't figured out how to make engines yet? Or even better, vehicles that could actually operate using magical energy? The amount of magical energy scattered across Greece was already pretty high to use for the next million years or so.

The distance between Colchis and Thessaly wasn't really that large. Colchis rested along the black sea, while Thessaly was said to rest on the other side past a bunch of other kingdoms. The greeks haven't really explored much of the area, so they always thought that Colchis was the edge of the known world. Past that, was just sea, monsters, and a magical place called India.

In fact, there was a story about Dionysus trying to attack India, but it didn't work out so well. Indian gods were really strange and even fiercer than the greek gods, which is a scary image no matter how you think about it.

"How much longer till we get there?" Alex drawled as he sat at the back of the boat while trying to think of something that could relieve his boredom.

"Honestly, you've been complaining ever since we've left the harbor. Just suck it up, will ya?" Heracles grumbled as he scratched his back. To be honest, he was also bored with sitting on the boat. He was a warrior! He needed to smash something to pieces or he's just going to follow Alex's example soon.

"But you understand my pain, right?" Alex said with a pout as he put his hands under his chin. "I'm not used to going at such a slow pace. I'd much rather hike a mountain than be on a boat."

"I do understand your pain but you don't see me whining about it, do you?" Heracles huffed.

"Don't lie, you're just as bored as I am." Alex said with a grin.

Heracles give any sign that he heard other than a simple annoyed huff. He was supposed to be on lookout duty, and having Alex complaining how boring the trip was started to mess with his concentration. Honestly, he was trying to prevent the argo from being taken off guard by some giant hungry squid and all Alex could do was complain? Granted, the chances of another monster attacking them was low, but he didn't gamble with chances.

"You should learn to sit still once in a while." Atalanta said with an amused smile as she plucked at her bowstring. "You'll get into some serious trouble if you can't take some things slow."

"I can take things slow if the situation calls for it. Right now, the situation hasn't reached the requirements for one of those moments." Alex said with a bored tone. He was used to having a game to play on his phone in his old life. Now, he had to actually sit patiently with nothing and contemplate on his life. He could just create a phone with his Rinnegan but it would cause some unnecessary problems that he didn't want to deal with.

"How about going for a swim? You might find a squid to wrestle with down there." Heracles suggested with a shit-eating grin.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny." Alex grumbled sarcastically. He grabbed his new spear and began sharpening the tip. "Perhaps I should test my spear out, eh? You look like a durable test dummy. I'm sure you'll survive the blast... I think."

Heracles probably would have started swinging his club around right then if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't want to see what that spear did. Any gift from Mr. Thunder Pants couldn't possibly anything less than mass destruction. Especially if if 'just so happens' to be a weapon.

"...I think I'll pass." Heracles mumbled as he resumed his lookout duty. Atalanta let out a small chuckle as she watched them interact. She had to admit, Alex and Desmond were the only ones who could actually irritate Heracles to this extent and live to tell about it. Perhaps she should ask him why later.

"Suit yourself." Alex said with a blank look, although he was trying hard to not let a grin come upon his face as he reveled in his victory over the giant. Although, he was entirely serious on the part of testing it out on Heracles. He'd probably survive it, albeit barely.

After half an hour of silence passing between them, a strange sound caught their attention. It sounded like a wire being pulled really fast against a hard surface. The three of them looked to the side, and found themselves gaping in surprise as their eyes landed on Desmond.

He was sitting at the edge of the boat in his regular attire. The difference that caught their eye was the long object that was dangling in his hand over the edge of the ship. To Atalanta and Heracles, it looked like a pole with a long piece of string dangling over the edge. To Alex, that was an entirely different matter.

"Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Alex moaned as he face palmed. Desmond sent them an amused look before returning his attention back to the stick in his hands.

"You might be asking yourself about the little item in my hand, right?" Desmond asked as he turned a handle on the side of the stick. "It's called a fishing rod. I made it myself."

"You did not make it yourself." Alex stated with a deadpan tone, causing Desmond to chuckle. Atalanta and Heracles were too busy observing the rod to even notice the exchange going on between the two of them.

"A fishing pole?" Atalanta echoed as if to test the sound of the word rolling off her tongue. "I can't say I've ever heard of it."

"Maybe Hephaestus created it?" Heracles wondered out lout.

"No, Hephaestus didn't create it. I'm the one that did. As for what it does..." Desmond trailed off as he pinched the wire hanging off the tip. "It's used for catching fish without the use of a net. A little bit faster in my opinion."

In the early days of Greece, there was no such thing as a fishing rod. Back then, people caught fishes with their barehands or using nets to catch them. Nets often took longer to get fish, but it usually caught lots of them in one go. Fishing rods, on the other hand, were much easier to catch fish with, but it didn't haul in the same amount on every catch.

"How does it work?" Atalanta asked.

"It's just a long coil of wire that is wrapped along the rod with a little hook on the end. You can raise or lower the hook by using the little handle next to the rod." Desmond said as he watched the hook bob behind the ship. "It's a little hard to get used to, but it's fun once you get the hang of it."

"Have you caught anything yet?" Heracles asked in curiosity.

Desmond sighed. "Yeah, but I just release them back into the sea. I'm not hungry enough to eat them right now and it would be a waste to just keep them on the deck if no one's going to eat them."

"I would have eaten them." Heracles muttered in disappointment. His body burned through his energy at a very fast pace when he fought. That's why the crew could usually find him sleeping or eating a large amount of food in the nearest tavern. His eating was what nearly caused them to get kicked out of every town after he couldn't pay for his meal.

You couldn't really blame him. His body was just as big as an elephant and people would have deduced that he would need a lot of energy to fuel it by sight alone.

Alex frowned for a moment before sighing. "Can I try it out for a few minutes?"

"No, make your own." Desmond said immediately without looking away from his rod.

"Awww... Come on! Please?" Alex pouted.

"Dude, it'll only take less than 5 seconds for you to create your own." Desmond said with a sigh. "Seriously, it's like you're doing this on purpose."

Alex muttered something incoherent to himself before he created his own rod and joined him at the edge of the ship. Atalanta and Heracles didn't say anything, but it was clear that they were trying hard not to laugh at his antics.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and everyone paused in confusion. Even the crewmen stopped rowing the boat to see what was going on. As everybody looked around in confusion, a whistling sound suddenly reached their ears.

"What's going on?" Atalanta asked as the shadow continued to get bigger.

"I don't know." Heracles said before he frowned. "You think it's another squi-"

He didn't even get to finish that sentence before a huge tidal wave nearly flipped the ship right over. The helmsman, a guy named Argus, grasped the helm in surprise to prevent to ship from flipping over. Argus was actually the son of Chalciope, who left to go explore the world with his other brothers: Phrontis, Melas, And Cytisorus.

Such a small world these greeks lived in.

"What was that?" Jason cursed from his position on the floor as the rocking of the ship threw him to the ground.

Heracles looked towards the sea and saw a huge floating rock that was definitely not there before, drifting along the waves. "It was a rock... sir"

"A really big rock." Desmond muttered as he tossed his fishing rod to the side. The 'rock', was definitely not a rock. It was more like a huge slab of earth the size of a city block that had been uprooted, roots and all, and used as a projectile of some sort.

"Damn it Heracles, you were supposed to be on lookout duty!" Atlanta cursed as she looked around to find the source of the attack while Heracles uttered some curses underneath his breath. Suddenly, she pointed towards a beachhead. "Over there!"

Everyone turned and blinked in surprise at what was standing on the beach. It was a giant. A really, really, _really_ tall giant. It shone bronze like copper, and it was definitely more robot than human. It blew smoke through its pipes and zeroed in on the ship. There was a large hole next to it, which was probably where he had gotten its ammunition from.

"Oh this is bad... This island must be Crete!" Heracles cursed. At the mention of Crete, the crewmen began to panic as the giant bellowed and beat its fist against its chest.

"What is that thing?" Alex asked as he stumbled over to his spear and swords.

"That thing is Talos." Jaso said with a little bit of fear. "It's an Automation created by Hephaestus for King Minos. It's main job is to protect the shores of Crete from any invading ships. If it see's a ship that it doesn't recognize..."

"noooo! My ship!" Argus wailed, causing the crew members to run around in a panic.

"Ah geez... They're panicking again." Atlanta muttered as she drew her bow. Apparently the only calm ones here were Her, Heracles, Alex, Desmond, And Jason. One of them not being any use in a fight. She didn't like the odds fighting against that thing. Would her arrows even work against something like that?

She tensed as she drew an arrow and fitted it against her bow. No... It was an automation. A golem to be more precise. It may be the size of a tower, but a golem always had it's weak spots. Specifically, the joints.

If she could just lodge an arrow into the joints in it's legs, she could probably cripple it. It'll buy them a few seconds to get out of its throwing range and hopefully get out of there before King Minos sends ships after them.

She exhaled and felt the world slow down around her as she took aim. It didn't matter how far away the target was. If it was in her line of sight then it was within her range. She let the arrow fly, and watched as it zoomed towards the giant.

The arrow slipped into the space near the giants joint and exploded from the pure physical power of the bow. If she was a servant, it would have been labeled as an A+ attack. Since she was alive and in her prime, however, the arrow was much stronger. The giant's joints creaked and it sunk to one knee to stabilize it and keep it from falling over.

"And now for the next one." Atalanta thought as she reached for another arrow. She froze, however, when the smell of electricity filled the air. It smelt like ozone, and it seemed to be coming from the ship. Or more specifically, right behind her.

She was about to turn her head to see what was going on before something yellow zoomed past her ear and towards the struggling giant as it fought to stand up. The projectile crackled with electricity and there was no doubt about what that was. She turned around and found Alex was his right hand raised in the air and his spear missing.

The giant looked up in confusion at the sudden increase of light before it simply ceased to exist. The spear had exploded against its target, and illuminated the entire in a bright yellow flash with the sound of lightning accompanying it. Everyone averted their eyes back to the giant and gaped in surprise to see that the entire body of the giant had vanished, save for it's feet. The explosion also scorched the earth and turned the surrounding patches of sand into glass.

Alex whistled. "Sweet! Your dad sure brings the best gifts!"

"Y-yeah, I guess..." Heracles stuttered as he stared at the utter carnage in front of him. "Damn it dad... why don't I get any cool gifts like that?"

He knew that Hera or Zeus was probably laughing up a storm somewhere up on olympus.

Atalanta was the quickest to recover out of all of them. "Well... That was unexpected. Still, you just wasted that spear."

Alex frowned before he held up his right hand and concentrated. Seconds later, the spear had flown back into his hand with a faint hint of electricity. "Ah... there it is."

Desmond gave a mirth little chuckle as he watched the rest of the crew gaping at the spear. "Alright, ladies. Get back to work. Once King minos gets word of this, he's going to send his entire fleet after us. Can't have that, can we?"

The crew shook themselves out of their daze and immediately began manning the ores. Honestly, after all they had just seen, they really didn't want to get Alex angry at them. That spear frightened them even more than Heracles.

* * *

Jin gave an amused smile as he batted away another sword strike from Abysrtus. He had continued to help train the young boy after he had finished recovering from his last training session. Right now, this was his second day of training. Even if it had been for a short time, the lesson managed to help him improve greatly. It was heartwarming to know that his teachings were actually making a difference to his younger charge.

"You've gotten better." Jin admitted as he backed out of another slash. "Although, your sword plays only one note. Try to mix your strikes up a little bit."

Absyrtus nodded. "Yes, Teacher!"

Jin inwardly smiled at that. He didn't ask for it, but Absyrtus had began calling him teacher, much to his surprise. Still, he liked to be called that. It was a sign of respect, and he liked things that showed respect. Especially if they are aimed at him.

Absyrtus adjusted his grip on his sword and curved it towards Jin's midsection, forcing him to block the strike with his sword. Seeing an opening, Absyrtus stepped forward to take advantage of it with another sword slash.

Before he could even do it, however, he felt Jin's fist lightly bury itself in his gut and sent him to the ground with an 'oomph'. Absyrtus groaned and looked up to see Jin with his fist hovering in the air and an amused expression on his face.

"Don't forget that your opponent has two arms and two feet. Fighting isn't always about the metal." Jin lectured as he helped him up. "You'll need to learn how to fight with your hands if you find yourself without a weapon."

Absyrtus frowned. "What if I just keep my weapon with me at all times?"

Jin chuckled. "You could be disarmed in battle, or you could simply be separated from it in the heat of battle. Weapons may be useful and helpful, but it still boils down to the soldier that uses them. If you don't know how to wield a sword properly, then what's the use of having one?"

"Oh... That makes sense." Absyrtus said with an understanding nod.

"So have you been taught any kind of hand-to-hand technique?" Jin asked as he set down his sword.

"Uh... one of my teachers taught me Pankration." Absyrtus suppled helpfully.

Jin hummed to himself. Pankration was an anchient greek boxing/wrestling martial art. Heracles and Thesus were said to use that style of fighting against Nemean Lion and the Minotaur. It was one of the oldest forms of martial arts in existence, not that many people knew about it.

"Alright... show me." Jin said as he slowed himself into a stance. Absyrtus nodded and slightly turned his body. His right foot stepped forward and he raised both of his hands so that they reached his hairline. His right arm extended out in front of him and opened up like a tigers claw. It kind of looked like he was ready to lunge at him and begin scratching like a cat.

It looked kind of ridiculous, but he knew there was purpose in that stance. Absyrtus weight had shifted into his back leg while his front leg only touched the ground with the ball of his foot. The stance allowed him to immediately kick with his front foot at a moments notice and with maximum power. His back leg was bent for stability and power, and to go along with the slightly sideways position. His positioning allowed him to protect his head and torso from a frontal assault. A clever martial art indeed.

"Alright... attack me whenever you are ready." Jin said as he bent his legs and let his arms hang loosely by his side. Absyrtus raised an eyebrow, obviously knowing that he should be careful. Even if Jin had so many openings, he couldn't help but feel like this is a trap.

So he decided to hit him hard and fast. Without even stopping to tense up or prepare, Absyrtus front leg shot forward and sailed towards Jin's abs in an attempt to catch him off guard. However, it seemed like Jin was ready for that. He simply moved to the side really quickly and let the foot slide past him.

Right now, he wasn't using any chakra to enhance his body. He had to go easy on the kid, ya know? But still... the kid seemed to be more proficient with hand-to-hand than his sword. He was smarter with his movements, and he was quick on his feet.

Recovering, he spun around and jabbed with his right hand before following that up with a left hook to his head. Jin blocked those two easily before launching an elbow of his own towards Absyrtus chest which he caught with effort.

Absyrtus grunted as he pushed back against Jin's strength. He wasn't used to this kind of fighting. Jin wasn't using the same type of fighting style he was. Instead, Jin had adopted to use Krav Maga. A CQC fighting style that was developed for the Israel Defense Force and Military. It was a brutal form of fighting that made the Israeli Armed Forces the most feared hand to hand combatants in the world. Krav Maga was a fighting style that could be comparable to Muay Thai in the fact that it was meant to brutally kill the other person with various violent maneuvers. Still, he considered Muay Thai to be much more brutal than Krav Maga simply because there was no rules in tournament matches.

Absyrtus suddenly yelped as he suddenly felt his legs being swept out from under him, causing him to fall onto the floor again with a thump. Jin sighed and helped the kid up once again, although there was another amused smile on his face once again.

"Hmm... Could use some work." Jin said as he dusted his hands. "Still... Nice job, though."

Absyrtus grunted as he stood up. "What was that, though? That wasn't Pankration!"

Jin smiled. "I call it Krav Maga. A type of hand-to-hand combat that my friends and I developed."

Absyrtus eyes had stars shining in them. "You created your own fighting style?"

Jin nodded. "yeah, I totally did."

Pshhh, yeah right.

"Perhaps I could teach you, but you seem to be tired. We've been sparring the entire day so why don't we wait until tomorrow, alright?" Jin said with a small smile on his face. Absyrtus hopped up and down in place and nodded.

"Alright!"

"Good. Now, run along. I'm going to go take a walk before I head back in." Jin said a small pat on his head. Absyrtus nodded with a smile and skipped back to the castle with his sword in hand. Jin smiled as he watched him leave before he felt two presences behind him.

"Well... you two certainly worked up a sweat out there." A familiar female voice said from behind him. He turned around and found Medea and Luke walking up to him.

"Ah, how long have you been watching?" Jin asked.

"The part when you started beating Absyrtus up." Luke said.

"I've been doing that the entire day." Jin said simply.

Medea sighed. "A few minutes ago."

"See luke? At least Medea's smart enough to give me a good enough answer. You should learn from her." jin teased, earning a pout from luke.

"You're mean..." Luke mumbled under his breath before straightening up like he remembered something important. "When's kuro getting back? Shouldn't he get back home today?"

"I have been wondering that as well. It shouldn't have taken him this long to get back." Medea said with obvious concern. "As much as I hate his incessant ranting, it wouldn't be the same without him here."

"Don't doubt him, you two." Jin said with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure he's just running behind schedule. Or, he could be talking with Medusa."

"Talking with Medusa?!" Medea screeched in worry. "That idiot! Medusa isn't someone you can just mess around with! What does he think he's doing?!"

"Ara... You're loud, Medea." Luke whimpered as he covered his ears. Medea paused her screeching and gave luke a sheepish look.

"Ah... Sorry, luke." Medea apologized with a pat on the head, earning a mewl of pleasure from Luke as she scratched his head.

Jin raised an eyebrow at that. "What? Is he a cat now?" He thought. "Anyway, Kuro is strong. More so, he won't start a fight with someone without reasoning with them first. Who knows? He probably befriended Medusa and we're worrying about nothing."

Medea frowned. "Befriending Medusa? While I do feel pity for her and feel like she doesn't belong on that Island, I highly doubt that she would reason with someone to stop fighting."

Jin smiled as he grabbed her hand reassuringly. "Well... do you trust me?"

Medea was red for a moment before she nodded. "yes... I trust you."

"Then trust that Kuro will be fine. There's no point with you worrying your cute head over it." Jin said as he ruffled her hair playfully. Medea relished in this moment before luke decided to speak up.

"I'll be leaving. All this lovey dovey stuff makes me awkward." Luke announced as he jogged back to the castle.

Medea had her mouth agape as she watched him leave. "L-lovey dovey?"

Jin chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Don't mind what he says. He doesn't mean it."

Somehow she doubted that.

* * *

 **See? I got this chapter up in record time! Well, maybe not record time, but it certainly was much faster than the last chapter!**

 **As you can see, the weapons of Zeus are extremely powerful. Weapons that can do the same kind of damage as Excalibur, which will make them a force to be reckoned with.**

 **Also, if any of you are wondering if servants are stronger than when they were in life, you are wrong. Servants are simply taking a form that resembles the prime time of their life, but they are not anywhere close to their strength in their prime. If you play Fate/grand order, there is a mechanic called 'Ascending' that allows you to bring your servant closer to the strength that they had in life.**

 **Just wanted to get that out of the way because I didn't want anyone to say anything about that in the review section.**

 **See you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	14. matchmaker

Being the deliverer of news between primordial beings was a seriously dangerous job. Why Poseidon couldn't just break the news and then head back to Olympus was beyond him. Perhaps he was just there to stalk medusa and decided to head back because he was caught?

A likely answer.

He had recited what he was going to say to Medusa so he wouldn't have to end up with another angry female that was less than several feet away from him. While his announcement didn't seem to anger her, he couldn't read her expression.

"You are serious about this, right?" Stheno pressed with a serious expression, although there seemed to be a hint of excitement coming rom her. "My little sister can go back home, right?"

It was weird how she called Medusa her little sister even though she barely reached Medusa's chest. "That's what Athena said. Although, she'll have to help this one guy who's coming here on a quest or something like that."

Medusa tensed at that. "How can I trust the words of that goddess?"

Kuro sighed. "Look... I don't think she's the type of person to make jokes. I know you must dislike her a lot, but she seems to be speaking the truth."

"Dislike is putting it nicely." Medusa said bluntly as she glared at the ground.

"Aw, but mom... Aren't you happy? You can finally get off this island without having to worry about being hounded after by Athena! Shouldn't you at least be happy about that?" Chrysaor asked with a sad pout.

Medusa let a small smile grace her lips. "I'm happy, Chrysaor. Still, I never had any plans to leave the island. Once I leave, where will I go?"

"Suck it up, big sister! You've just been handed a reprieve and you're not going to waste it!" Euryale said with a cross look. "We will travel the world until we find a place for you to settle down, got it?"

Medusa raised an eyebrow. "A-alright, big sister."

Kuro frowned at that. He didn't really know of any place that would actually take her in. As far as he knew, speculations of her still remained. However, not a single person actually saw her and managed to live. They all think that she's a monster with snake hair instead of a beautiful woman with luscious purple hair. As long as she didn't say her name out loud, she would be fine!

Still, he didn't think that it would be healthy of her to live like that. Lying low and being secretive isn't how a normal family should be. Chrysaor would have to go along with it and that would destroy any chance of him having a normal life.

He couldn't let that happen.

Kuro faked cough, gathering everyone's attention. "...I'm sure my king wouldn't mind letting you settle down there. He's a nice guy, and I'm sure he will take you all in just like he did with me."

Everyone blinked in surprise before Stheno spoke up with a hint of doubt. "Would your king really allow such a thing?"

Kuro shrugged. "With my support, yes. Besides, he has a soft spot for me. He'll consider that like paying back a debt he owes me."

Yeah, him and king Aeetes were pretty tight. Considering that he never asked the man for a favor, he was sure that he could squeeze one out of him now. As long as he didn't freak out about having a magical killer lady with her twin sisters and son, he shouldn't have a problem with it.

He wondered what was going on with the others back at the castle. Perhaps they were worried about him since he wasn't back on time? Psh... Yeah, right. Jin and Luke were probably hanging out with Absyrtus, and Medea was probably working on her magic down in her mystical lair.

He smiled at that thought. He truly loved to tease her about her growing relationship with Jin. Watching them actually interact with each other was a pleasant sight to watch, even if both of them have yet to realize their feelings for each other.

He inwardly chuckled at that thought. Medea went love-stricken because of Aphrodite. Without the goddess, Medea didn't seem prone to those kinds of feelings. Makes sense since she's a magus, and magus's aren't really known for socializing with others. Still, Medea was a very sensitive and determined person. If someone used magic to make her fall in love with someone else, she would stop at nothing to earn his favor. Scary, considering that was the reason behind Jason's downfall.

At least they managed to avert that crisis. What he should do right now is figure out what to do with Medusa right now. For her to get off, she must assist the legendary hero Perserus in saving his mother from some evil old king.

One thing confused him, though. Perserus, Cadmus, and Bellerophon were the three great heroes before the time of Heracles. If that is true, Medusa should have already been dead by now after her full transformation into the gorgon. The best guess he could guess with was that historians messed up on the timeline.

It made sense. Not everything found on historical digs were going to be one hundred percent reliable. Archeologists also weren't known for being one hundred percent sure on specific dates or times in history and mostly gave estimates.

Whatever, he could wonder about that later after he helped with getting Medusa's freedom.

He looked up at the sky and squinted at the son. Judging by the height of the sun, he had gotten here at around early 9:30. Right now, it seems like it hadn't gone forward that much since he got here. Maybe 10:00 to 12:30, perhaps?

"Athena did say that this Perserus kid would be here soon, but she didn't say specifically when." Kuro muttered as he squinted at the sun.

"She's never straightforward. Always saying some cryptic bullshit and leaving everyone to think for days about what she means." Medusa grumbled.

Kuro raised his eyebrows at that. He knew that Medusa must have held some kind of grudge against the wisdom goddess, but yeesh! This was almost borderline Kill-on-sight hate that she was emitting. He couldn't really blame her, though.

"Note to self: Don't mention Athena anywhere near this woman." Kuro thought with a shiver. Stheno, Euryale, and Chrysaor had managed to somehow slip away from them during their two second conversation. How they did it was beyond him, but he wasn't going to ask.

"How do you honestly feel about this?" Kuro asked as he laid his back against a nearby tree. "I mean... getting off this island and all."

Medusa picked at the grass in thought. "It's just like I said, I don't really know what to think. This island may have been the prison that I have lived on for as long as I could remember, but it is also my home. I wish to return back to civilization, but I feel like I would be leaving something important behind if I left this place." She gazed at the stone temple wistfully, "Still, I do wish for Chrysaor to have a normal life instead of being cooped up on this island."

"How considerate of you." Kuro said with a small smile. "Putting your son's life ahead of yours... You really are a nice person."

Medusa felt a faint tint of red rise to her cheeks. "A-ah... Isn't that what a parent is supposed to do?"

Kuro chuckled. "Yeah, that's what they're supposed to do." He looked around and felt himself suddenly bored when he realized there wasn't anything for him to do. He could build up his chakra reserves, but he did that on the boat ride here.

His chakra reserves had grown tremendously, to the point where he felt it was okay to tap a little bit into his rinnegan. However, there was another set of eyes that he was willing to test out. These eyes were called **Tenseigan** , the legendary eyes of the Otsutsuki clan. While the sage of six paths was said to possess the rinnegan, his brother possessed the tenseigan, powerful eyes that could be comparable to that of the rinnegan.

The eyes were powerful enough to slice the moon in half, but that didn't make it as powerful as the rinnegan. Toneri Otsutsuki, the only naruto character who managed to utilize those eyes, wasn't able to stop naruto even after he had his six path senjutsu chakra unavailable to him. It'd make sense, since the Tenseigan wasn't actually utilized by the Otsutsuki clan until hundred of thousands of years later.

Using the dojutsu gave the wielder a chakra cloak and truth-seeking balls, vaguely making him look like a buddhist sage. However, he couldn't utilize the rinnegans powers while he was in this mode. To do that, he has to switch over to the Rinnegan to utilize its powers. Still, there was a cool down effect that only allowed him to use his eyes again 10 minutes after use. It may not seem like a long time, but 10 minutes was more than enough time for your opponent to kill you.

Honestly, he was against this idea, but Jin had insisted they put this little restraint in. It was like someone out there didn't want him to be as O.P as he possibly could be!

He was snapped out of his musings when he felt Samehada growl on his back. Kuro paused for a moment as he listened for a minute before his eyes widened.

"...Are you sure?" Kuro whispered. Samehada growled again, "I see... Thanks."

Medusa seemed to have stiffened as she caught wind of some kind of unseen presence. She turned to Kuro, receiving a nod that he felt it too. In one fluid motion, Kuro withdrew a kunai from inside his sleeve and threw it at the closest tree to him.

However, the kunai didn't even make it to the tree before it was suddenly knocked away by some unseen force. Kuro and Medusa stood up and quickly drew their weapons as they prepared to battle their unseen foe.

However, they were expecting a visitor so they were going to take this slow.

"Alright, kid. This can go one of two ways. One: You can appear before us and settle this peacefully, or 2: We hunt you down and kill you ourselves. Whatever magic you're using to make yourself invisible won't work on us." Kuro said as he held Samehada in one hand and Aima in the other.

There was silence for a moment before a voice shouted out, "Put down your weapons and I will do as you say!"

Kuro and Medusa looked at each other and nodded. The voice was definitely scared of them. Very carefully, they both lowered their weapons and took a few steps backwards.

"Come out, lest my patience grows thin." Medusa ordered with authority. A few seconds later, a shape that oddly resembled a human (No way!) appeared from beneath a nearby tree. It was a young man about 18 years of age wearing traditional greek clothing and armor. He had red hair and wore a pair of brown boots with small angel like wings on them. In his hands was a long pole that had a curved golden hook at the end. Guessing who the person was in front of them was, it wasn't hard to figure out what the weapon was. **Harpe: The snake hunters scythe.**

"Are you Perserus?" Kuro asked for all intensive purposes, surprising the young man.

"A-ah, yes that would be me." Perserus said as he gripped his weapon nervously. Seeing this, Kuro raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Calm down and relax." Kuro said with a lazy tone. "The chances of you killing us are zero, so why try to struggle?"

"Although, I wouldn't mind it." Medusa muttered.

"Don't try to scare him, Medusa." Kuro chided with an amused smile, causing Perserus's eyes to widen.

"Wait... She's Medusa? Like, THE Medusa?" Perserus asked in surprise. Underneath her blindfold Medusa rolled her eyes, but she nodded anyway.

"Yes, that is me. Are you surprised by my appearance, boy?" Medusa asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"Er... kind of." Perserus admitted awkwardly as he looked at the surrounding statues that littered the area.

"Medusa's not going to turn you to stone if that's whats troubling you." Kuro said as he caught the mans wandering gaze. "You see, you're her ticket out of here. Since that's the case, we're supposed to help you out with your little.. problem."

Perserus raised an eyebrow, "You know about my problem? Who told you?"

Medusa sighed. "Use your head, boy. The goddess Athena delivered the message herself. Normally I would never consider involving myself with your affairs, but this is an exception. Be thankful of that."

"Er... Yes, very thankful." Perserus muttered. He silently cursed himself for getting into this situation. If only he hadn't opened his big mouth and promised Polydectes anything he wanted in exchange for him laying off his mom, none of this would have happened.

Still, this went better than he could ever have imagined. Once he arrived at the island, he was expecting a big awesome climatic fight against some huge scary snake lady that would have devoured him without a second thought. Apparently Medusa wasn't like that, and she was apparently willingly to help him even if it was just for herself.

"Alright, kid. Go wait for us down at the beach. We'll follow you there after Medusa finishes packing her bags." Kuro said with a dismissive wave.

"Got it." Perserus said before he ran back down to the beach in excitement. As they watched him go, Kuro sent Medusa an amused smile.

"Don't be so harsh on him. It's not like he wanted this anymore than you do." Kuro said. Medusa sighed and rubbed her head in a tired manner.

"I don't know how to deal with this. Socializing with humans isn't something I've been doing recently." Medusa muttered. Kuro's eyes softened and he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze, surprising her from the contact.

"Hey... Don't worry about stuff like this. You'll get used to it eventually." Kuro promised with a smile, "Until then, don't forget that you can ask me for help. I'll listen no matter what the hour."

Medusa looked down and felt the heat rise to her face once again against her will. She couldn't help it with this man. As much as she disliked humans, she couldn't help but feel at ease with this one. He didn't treat her like a monster, and his voice was so... soothing.

Yes... with him, this could work out for her.

"A-ah, I see... Thank you." Medusa muttered shyly. Kuro just smiled and gave her a pat on the back before frowning.

"Wait... How are you going to leave? You don't have a boat handy, do you?" Kuro asked.

Medusa smiled. "Not a boat, no. I have something else in mind."

* * *

Alex, Desmond, and Atalanta panted heavily as they tried to recover from what just happened. After a crazy round of partying last night belowdeck, someone had the bright idea to let Heracles drink Alcohol. Needless to say, it wasn't a very pretty sight.

"Does *pant* this *pant* happen normally? *pant *pant*?" Alex muttered as he laid his head against a table.

"No... Not usually. It's a strict no alcohol zone when Heracles is around." Atalanta muttered. "This happens all the time when he gets too drunk. "

Desmond looked to the side at the now unconscious form of Heracles snoring loudly in the corner. "Geez... He's like a bear."

"A really big bear with muscles." Alex said in agreement. "What should we do with him?"

"Leave him until he wakes up." Atalanta said simply as she stood up and dusted herself off. "I'd give it about 24 hours before he wakes up."

Desmond raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That long?"

Atalanta shrugged. "You'd be surprised." She winced as she felt her stiff arms. There had been no non-lethal ways to take Heracles down so she had to resort to knocking him out through cutting off his air supply. Her arms were sore after several failed attempts at knocking him out until Alex and Desmond intervened and held him down.

"I'm going to head up. I need to go cool off after this little rodeo." Desmond said as he quickly left to go get doused by the rain outside. Alex sighed before frowning when he saw Atalanta rub her arms in annoyance.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked with a small amount of concern.

"I'm fine." Atalanta said quickly, causing Alex to deadpan.

"You're obviously not." Alex said. He knew Atalanta was tough, but she really needed to learn when to admit that she was hurt. "Here, let me see."

"I said, I'm fine." Atalanta said stubbornly. Fortunately, Alex really wasn't going to take that for an answer. He stood up and quickly walked over to Atalanta and grabbed her arm, earning a flinch upon contact.

"Bruising." Alex said simply. "Lots and lots of bruising. I wouldn't be surprised if your bone has cracked a little bit."

Atalanta bit her lip and didn't say anything, causing Alex to sigh. "Really... There's nothing wrong with admitting that you're in pain. If you don't, it'll just get worse later on."

"Don't lecture me." Atlanta muttered as she reluctantly let Alex examine her arm.

"It's for your own good." Alex said with a soft smile. He pressed his hand over the bruises and activated the mystical palm technique. A medical ninjutsu that accelerated the bodies regenerative properties with the use of chakra. Within seconds, the bruises cleared and Atalanta's arm was back to its original state.

"Better now?" Alex asked as Atalanta rubbed her arms.

"Yes..." Atalanta said in amazement as she examined her arm. "Your magic never ceases to amaze me."

"It's nothing that amazing, really..." Alex said in embarrassment. "I'm sure you could do it easily once you figured it out."

Atalanta gave an amused chuckle. "Magic is something I never thought about. Hunting and living in the wilderness is my personal preference."

Alex smiled at that before frowning. "So... how is it like?"

Atalanta frowned. "How's what like?"

"Living as a huntress? You know, not allowing to get married or things like that." Alex asked with curiosity.

Atalanta sighed. "I don't really know. I've never really liked men. They're all greedy bastards who usually see us women as people who were supposed to cook, clean, and do whatever they wanted. It didn't sit well with me."

"But still... Not all men are like that, you know?" Alex defended.

"I never really believed that back then." Atalanta admitted. "The only ones who actually treated me like a regular person was Desmond, Heracles, Jason, and You."

"I see..." Alex muttered. "But what about having kids? I know you'd be a great mother, so what about that?"

"I wouldn't call it a regret, but I'd call it a disappointment." Atalanta said simply.

"And what about love? As much as I know how love can take just as much as it can give, wouldn't you want someone to love you like that?"

"I never really thought about it." Atalanta said truthfully. Alex sighed, but he couldn't help but smile.

"Geez... you're a really stubborn person." Alex said, earning a smirk from the huntress.

"So I have been told." Atalanta said as they both feel into a deep silence as they thought about what each other said. They didn't snap out of there little musings until they noticed that they were still holding hands. With an embarrassed cough, Alex quickly retracted his hand.

"Er... sorry..." Alex stuttered. "I'll... be upstairs."

Atalanta watched as Alex scurried up the stairs with a quickness in his step. She looked down at her hand and she could still feel the warmth from Alex lingering on her hand. She wouldn't really admit it out loud, but she missed that warmth. It was comforting somehow. Kind of like the days when she lived with momma bear back in the mountains before she was found by humans. A warmth that made her feel safe.

...safe.

She smiled at that feeling.

* * *

Up on Mt. Olympus, Artemis really didn't know what to feel about the young man her champion had been hanging around with. The first time she had seen him get close to her favorite huntress had nearly made her go and shoot him down with her bow. Unfortunately, Hera wouldn't have liked that, so she couldn't go through with it and was forced to grudgingly watch.

She had watched their later interactions on the argo, and she couldn't help but feel that this man and his partner was different than the rest. Much, MUCH, different. For one, they had managed to earn her dad's favor, which is no easy thing to do. His personality was also very kind, but very serious when he needed to be. It reminded her a little bit of Orion, making her heart ache a little bit as she remembered her only love.

She saw the effect the young man was having on Atalanta, and it was definitely positive. In truth, Atalanta reminded her of herself. Headstrong, impulsive, and very indomitable. The young man was teaching her to rely on others and not on just her own strength, something that would surely help her in the future.

But there was also the fact that this young man may be leaving a bigger impression on her. While he and Atalanta may be too oblivious to see it, her huntress was starting to develop feelings on a much higher level than simple friendship. In fact, she'd only give it a few months until she finally realizes it.

But her oath was going to hold her back. The same oath that she had taken and nearly came to break if it wasn't for her brother. The thought of having her favorite follower go into despair at not being to be with this good hearted person broke her heart. It was rare for good men to be in any of the kingdoms, and it was lucky to get one as a husband. Atalanta could use a person like him in her life. He'd take care of her and treat her like an equal partner.

She could revoke that oath, but she'd have to do it discreetly. If she broke that out publicly, she wouldn't doubt that every man on the argo would make a move on her. She was a pretty beautiful woman, after all.

Yes... that could work. Besides, she didn't want Atalanta to suffer the same fate she did with Orion. Considering that she has been such a reverent follower, it would be the least she could do to reward her.

She sat back in her chair and sighed as she plucked her bowstring. Geez... if Aphrodite got word of this, she would freak out in excitement. The love goddess had a weird excitement for that kind of love.

Yeah... definitely had to do this in secret and make sure that goddess never got word of this.

* * *

 **Pump it out! I typed this entire sheet out today from scratch. I realized I probably won't have enough time to make a chapter this weekend, so I decided to pump one out today!**

 **As you can see, weird feelings are starting to bloom between our heroes! Although being the main characters, they are hopelessly oblivious to everything love and women related going on around them. Hope they can figure that out soon!**

 **As for me, I'm heading to bed. I'm tired as shit.**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	15. Gnome garden

Kuro felt like he was currently going to plummet straight into the water at any moment. Currently, he was being dragged across the ocean on a magical flying horse with wings. After getting everything packed up, they had met Perserus back on the beach and began to follow him back to his home.

He didn't think that Pegasus would have been able to carry all of them, but Pegasus was apparently bigger than the average horse. Hell, it was able to support the weight of him, medusa, chrysaor, and both Stheno and Euryale. It was like a hundred horses combined into one.

The creature was also a VERY powerful phantasmal beast. Hell, it was one of the most famous mythological creatures in the entire world! The first one, no less. It's entire body reeked of magical energy, and it released it in waves as it flew, comparing it to a nuclear reactor.

That power combined with its speed was comparable to that of a speeding meteor. If Pegasus wanted to charge through something, he doubted that any magical defense or handmade defense was going to be able to stop it, much less slow it down.

Despite having such overwhelming power, Pegasus was actually a very peaceful creature. Medusa had explained that Pegasus doesn't go out of its way to get into any needless conflict. In fact, it seemed to hate it. However, it would immediately rush to her side if she was in any danger, making it a very reliable partner.

Originally, Pegasus was created after Medusa's blood was spilled into the sea after her death with Perserus. However, in this universe, it was a gift from Poseidon to help ease her loneliness. Yes, because flying magical horses were easy to take care of.

While it may not like violence, Medusa was able to spur it on by using the magical golden bridle: **Bellerophon.** The name of the item being named after the greek hero who managed to tame Pegasus using a similar bridle. Ironically, he got it from Athena after sleeping on her alter. Weird.

Asking Medusa about where she got it from, she admitted that she didn't know exactly where. Apparently, Pegasus had just showed up with a magical golden bridle perfectly fitted inside of its mouth like it was a part of him. After asking him about it, (Yes she can talk to Pegasus, don't know how.) Pegasus had claimed that the owner of the bridle, Bellerophon, had fallen off him and died. He actually died on the way to olympus, but he didn't say anything about that.

Apparently impressed that someone had actually managed to ride Pegasus other than her, she named it after Bellerophon in his honor. Quite the honorable thing to do, actually. Proves that she also had a soft side to her.

As for Perseus, he was flying ahead in his mystical magical winged sandals. They were like the sandals that you would see on statues of Hermes. They were ordinary looking sandals with small little angel wings sprouting from the side. For being small, they were able to allow Perseus the power of flight at extreme speeds. While he was ahead of them, though, Pegasus had to slow down quite a bit to prevent from passing Perseus, something the horse didn't like.

"Are we almost there yet?" Kuro asked as he held onto Pegasus for dear life.

"Stop asking such fruitless questions. Do you think we're there yet?" Stheno asked with her 'holier than thou' attitude as she swept her arm over the ocean.

"No, mom..." Kuro grumbled as he buried his face into Pegasus' fur. "mmmm... so soft."

Medusa giggled a little bit as she watched him, causing her sisters and Chrysaor to look at her in surprise. Giggling was something she practically never did. She was so serious and depressing that none of them had actually heard her giggle in a long long time. Emphasis on long.

"Did mother just..." Chrysaor trailed off, looking stunned.

"Giggle?" Stheno whispered, looking as equally stunned as Chrysaor. "This is odd... I've never seen her giggle for anyone, other than the three of us." She casted Kuro a frown as she watched him snuggle against Pegasus' fur. "Although... I kind of understand why."

"We should keep an eye on that man." Euryale said as she casted a distrustful look towards Kuro, who was completely oblivious to the entire thing. "That human is a mystery... I can't get a read on him. For one, no man should have been able to not fall for me after sighting in."

"You're just angry that someone isn't infatuated with you." Stheno pointed out with a giggle, earning a glare from her sister. "Kidding. Still... You are right in the fact that he is very unusual for a human. I don't know what to think about him."

"I think he's pretty cool!" Chrysaor pitched in. "He seems pretty normal to me. He even gave me some pointers on my sword skills while we were fighting! And let's be honest, if he actually managed to beat Medusa, he seems to be nice enough to let her live."

"Still... He could be using her." Euryale suggested, lamely.

Medusa sighed, earning their attention. "He doesn't have anything to gain by letting me live. Just trust him for now." Her face softened a little bit. "Besides... It's thanks to him that you Chrysaor could potentially have a normal life."

Stheno and Euryale went silent, but they nodded to show that they understood her. They never really trusted humans. They didn't like humans at all, no matter what they were like. Rude, polite, smart, they didn't like any of them, Medusa more so.

If Medusa had lowered herself to trust a human being she barely knew for more than 24 hours, they could take her word for it. Even if they would never admit it out loud, Medusa was actually more of an older sister than they were. She took care of them even though she should have been more concerned with herself. Still, it was embarrassing to admit out loud.

It was a sister complex thing.

"See? What did I tell you?" Chrysaor said with puffed cheeks as he reveled in his victory.

"...Fine, you win, brat." Both sisters muttered at the same time.

Medusa just remained silent, but a smile had fallen over her face. She kept her eyes forward and followed Perseus as he continued to fly ahead. While she could care less of this young man's problems, it was necessary for her to get off the island without being hassled by that hag Athena.

She frowned at that thought. While Kuro may have claimed that the goddess has sent her apologies, she didn't know if she could actually forgive her. I mean, would you forgive the person who messed up your life if they suddenly appeared one day and went, 'sorry about screwing up your life. If it makes you feel better, you can go if you want to.' What a prick.

She let out a small yawn as she held Pegasus' reins loosely. While she could navigate her surroundings perfectly despite the blindfold due to magic, Pegasus pulled her without any heed on her part. It was convenient since it allowed her to rest without worrying about going off track. Pegasus was just smart like that.

Laying her head down against Pegasus' soft fur, she let her eyes close behind her blindfold.

"Follow Perseus, okay?" Medusa whispered to the horse, getting a neigh in response. Satisfied, she finally let the comfort of sleep take her as she rested her head against her furry partner's neck, falling asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

It would be several hours before Medusa woke up again. Pegasus had slowed down and casually hovered in the air over a large city that looked like it had been renovated for the past several months. The buildings were all very expensive looking, and the streets below were booming. People milled around the street during their regular business, even though it was already dark out. Lanterns lightened up the streets, giving them a clear view from above.

She looked down and frowned as she observed the people milling around. She had never seen a bunch of human beings together in one place, and it was a little bit unnerving for her. While she could kill them all easily, she couldn't help but feel nervous around them. She was so nervous that she was gripping the reigns tight, making Pegasus neigh a little bit in discomfort.

"You're making him nervous, you know?" An amused voice said from behind her. She turned around and found Kuro awake with a small smile plastered on his face. Stheno, Euryale, and Chrysaor were all asleep in front of him, clinging onto pegasus like a pillow.

"He's right, you know." Perseus said as he fluttered beside them. "Welcome to the island of Serifos. The most shittiest place in all of Greece."

"You're not very fond of this place." Medusa stated as she continued to review the people walking around below her.

"Bite me." Perseus said as he drew his distasteful gaze towards a nearby castle that stood high over the rest of the buildings. "That's where we're going to go. Judging from all of action down there, King Polydectes is probably having another ceremony. He's the type of person who likes hearing his name coming from other people."

"Mmmm. Not a very nice sounding guy." Kuro said with a nod of his head.

"So what's the plan then?" Medusa asked impatiently. Her freedom was within her viewpoint, literally. She would not let this chance slip by her.

"Walk in there. Kill everyone except Perseus' mother. Leave." Kuro suggested.

"That's not really much of a plan." Perseus argued as he and Medusa gave him a deadpan look.

"Oh yeah? What was your plan when you arrived on Medusa's island? I'm guessing that you were planning to slaughter everyone and then leave, right?" Kuro asked with a sly grin, effectively shooting down Perseus' argument. "Besides, plans usually go straight to hades when things get hectic."

"...Fine." Perseus muttered in defeat. "However, there's another guy I want to keep alive. His name is Dictys, and he's Polydectes brother. However, they're way different from each other. If possible, I want you to keep him alive if that's alright. He shouldn't be at the party since he doesn't really go to the palace, but just to be sure..."

Medusa was silent for a moment before she nodded. "Alright... I understand. However, You will have to warn him quickly. Should he even look upon my eyes in any way, even in his mind, he will be turned to stone. If that happens, there will be nothing I could do."

She used to have the ability to control her eyes when she was born, but that was back in the times when she was an earth goddess. The status as a goddess was able to let her control her eyes, allowing the choice of who or whom not to petrify. It was a useful ability that took away the stupid blindfold that she kept around her eyes, but that was taken away when she was exiled and revered as a demon, stripping her of her godly status.

She was definitely much stronger when she was a god, but she wasn't much of a slouch now, either. She hazard a guess that she was only able to access 35% of her original power if she were to go all out right now. Even if it was less than half, it was definitely a match for even the run-of-the-mill demigod.

"Thank you." Perseus said with a grateful bow. Medusa said nothing, but she just nodded in response. Seeing that this discussion was done, Perseus turned towards the castle. "Now... Please follow me. Try not to talk to anyone while you're down there." With that, he began descending towards the castle.

"mmm... Let's get this over with, shall we?" Kuro asked with a comforting smile.

"Yes, lets." Medusa said with a light blush. She whipped the reins, and spurred Pegasus after Perseus. They descended from the clouds and zoomed quickly towards a secluded area of the town near the castle. Luckily, nobody had managed to see the giant white comet streak towards the town.

"Seriously... how do they not notice us?" Kuro thought to himself as Pegasus' feet touched down on the ground gently. He gently disembarked, as to not to wake the three sleeping passengers, and let out a yawn. "Alright, let's get this over with. It's getting late."

"Right. Follow me." Perseus said as he marched off towards the castle. Medusa stood there, tense, before she felt Kuro reassuringly pat her on the back as he walked past her, prompting her to follow after them. As they cut into the streets, Medusa could feel the looks of people trained on them as they walked past. She had been prepared for looks of hate, but the humans seemed to be confused and curious about her instead.

"Why do they keep looking at me like that?" Medusa whispered.

"Probably because you're a beautiful woman." Kuro said casually without even breaking his stride. He didn't even notice Medusa's face contort into confusion and a hint of embarrassment at that.

"Beautiful?" Medusa echoed. "Such a large woman like me can be considered beautiful?"

Kuro frowned at that. "Large? You're not large. You're a little bit taller than the average woman, but that doesn't necessarily make you un-attractive." Medusa was pretty tall by woman standards. Still, she wasn't the tallest woman he had ever met. His mother stood at a whopping 6'1. He was surprised that his dad was even taller than her at all. Admittedly, she was probably the reason why he was so tall. Hooray genetics.

"O-oh..." Medusa muttered lamely as she tried to ignore the stares. Perseus, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any problem with it. The other civilians parted away from him as he held Harpe in front of him. Seriously, how can that thing be called a sword or scythe? It was like a giant fishing hook that was somehow meant to be used to decapitate gods. A very impractical design for a weapon that's meant to kill gods.

They marched up to the palace unopposed. No guards were anywhere in sight, and none came to confront them. It seemed that with all of the partying that is going on, the guards didn't really care about doing their job when they could be getting drunk somewhere else.

Soon, they arrived at the gate entrance. A giant wooden gate that towered over them and was definitely well made. It was decorated with gold, and it looked like it would be able to take heavy damage before it was breached.

"So... do we just ask to be let in?" Kuro asked.

"No. We let ourselves in." Perseus said simply as he walked over to the door. With an unbelievable amount of strength, Perseus kicked the door open. The giant door swung open, making loud creaking noises as it did so. Medusa and Kuro peeked inside and saw a bunch of people in expensive looking clothing staring at them with open mouths. Sitting on the throne, was a fat man wearing red robes and a crown perched on his head.

"Knock knock." Perseus growled as he marched in. Medusa and Kuro looked at each other for a moment before following in, earning the attention of the crowd and the king himself. The fat guy definitely didn't seem happy to meet them.

"Well, well, if it ain't Perseus the momma's boy. Care to explain why you've crawled back here?" Polydectes boomed as he shifted in his seat with a displeased look on his face. "I thought I told you not to return without the head of Medusa, or perhaps you have forgotten about that little detail?" His voice earned the mutters of some people as they listened in on the conversation.

"I haven't forgotten, Polydectes." Perseus retorted as he planted harpe into the ground. The sound reverberated across the entire room, earning steps back from the crowd as they backed away from the dangerous weapon. Even Polydectes seemed to be a little bit unnerved by it. Still, the man kept his composure, not wanting to look weak in front of his guests.

"Oh? Then why have you come back? I don't see a decapitated head anywhere, and the only things you've brought back with you is that boy and..." Polydectes trailed off as his eyes landed on Medusa. "Hello... Ma'am."

"...Oh hades no." Medusa thought to herself in disgust when she realized the look he was giving her. Kuro suddenly felt very awkward as he stood side by side with her. Judging by the killing intent she was leaking out, there wasn't going to be anything he could do to stop her from turning everyone inside into a gardening gnome.

Apparently Perseus thought that too.

"Would you like to take a closer look at her, Polydectes?" Perseus asked innocently.

"Why not?" Polydectes muttered as in a daze. He was captivated by this woman's beauty. In fact, everyone in the room seemed to be captivated as well. The men were starting to drool while the women were sending jealous looks towards her. She could be, dare he say it, just as beautiful as Aphrodite!

"Hey..." Kuro muttered as he elbowed Medusa. "Go ahead."

"With pleasure." Medusa growled. Perseus quickly covered his eyes as Medusa ripped off her blindfold. Within seconds, every single person in the room had turned to stone before they had time to react, frozen in an eternal look of lust as their skin hardened.

"...That was anticlimactic." Kuro admitted as he prodded a statue with his foot and Medusa slipped her blindfold back on. It felt good to release her stress like that. She had never petrified so many targets at once, and it felt like she was relaxing as all her pent up anger was finally released.

"But it worked." Perseus said simply as he walked over to Polydectes, who was still sitting in his chair. With one quick movement, Perseus had cut off the kings stone head and sent it rolling across the floor like a bowling ball.

"So what do you plan to do now? You going to make yourself king or something?" Kuro asked.

Perseus shook his head. "I don't want to be king of this place. It's not my real home." He looked around and sighed. "My mother isn't here, so I should probably tell her the good news. Dictys will probably be the next king since he's Polydectes brother, so I'm sure I'll be leaving this place in capable hands."

"Hn." Medusa said simply as she turned around and walked off, not giving any form of goodbye except for a slight wave of her hand. Seeing this, Kuro decided it was time for him to go.

"Alright, that's a wrap." Kuro said with a clap of his hands. "Good luck with whatever you're doing."

"Hm. Same to you." Perseus said as he stared at the headless corpse of Polydectes.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. You can find me at Colchis if you were wondering." Kuro offered. If he recalled, Perseus became a king of some other kingdom. Earning favor with this guy was sure to dd wonders for Colchis. Who knows? he might get a reward from Aeetes for coming up with an awesome idea.

"Colchis? I'll keep that in mind." Perseus echoed as he began moving most of the statues to the other side of the room. There was nothing more to be said between the two of them. They couldn't exactly call each other friends since they only met several hours ago.

With his work done, it was time to go.

Without another word, he walked out the gates and into the crisp air outside as he followed Medusa back to her magical flying horse.

* * *

Jin would never admit it, but he actually loved to read books.

Reading books was only the few things he was actually able to do in school and enjoy. Stories like Percy jackson and anime manga always kept him entertained throughout the boring period of life called High school. In fact, it's landed him into trouble with the teachers more times than he could actually count.

But looking at the amount of books in front of him, he wondered if even HE would get bored before getting halfway through all of them.

"So? What do you think?" Medea asked as she eyed him with an amused expression at his bewildered face.

"It's an eyeful, that's for sure." Jin muttered.

In front of him, was the largest stockpile of books and tomes that he had ever seen before. The room was as large as a colosseum and was currently only filled with various tomes, scrolls, and books that would make any archeologist's head explode just from the sheer amount of knowledge that was here.

The amount of books in here was much more vaster than any library or museum he had ever been to before. It was an archive that was built beneath King Aeetes castle in secret, and has been keeping records ever since the kingdom was founded.

"You're the first one outside my family to even know this place exists." Medea said with a smile as she ran her hand over the books as she walked past. "Most of the magic I've learned came from here. In fact, most of the books here all contain magic that I've yet to learn."

"Wow." Jin said lamely as he pulled out a book and opened to a random page. Indeed, there were pages filled with magic spells with a detailed description on how to practice them. It was like Kumon, except for wizards and much more easier to understand.

"50 different boundary fields. Numerous magical traps. A mana detection system. Father went all out when he decided to boost the crypt's defenses." Medea muttered.

All out wasn't really the word to describe it. With all of the magical security implanted to keep this crypt safe, it has transformed it into an impenetrable lair. Numerous skeletal warriors were stationed around the crypt as statues, numbering in the thousands. On top of that, the place was designed after the Labyrinth in Crete. Unlike the Labyrinth, the route to get to the archives would change if a person without a mana signature like Medea or Aeetes were to approach it, effectively trapping the person in a never ending cycle of going around in circles. A scary fate.

"Father really was paranoid when it came to this place." Medea said as she floated around towards the books at the top shelf. "Other kingdoms would go to any lengths to secure our golden Fleece. If they figured out that we were hoarding all this magic, it'd put the kingdom on everyone list out there."

"That makes a lot of sense." Jin said as he placed the book back. "So how many tomes do you think reside in here?"

Medea shrugged. "Hundreds? Thousands? I have already mastered hundreds of different spells, and I haven't even read half of the books here." She floated down a section and stopped when she reached a red line that ran across the ground. "Past this point are the spells that I'm going to be getting into. You know, the spells that are meant to kill other people."

"You excited for that kind of stuff?" Jin asked with a small smile as he watched her pull several books out of the shelves.

"Excited? Yes. Still, I don't intend to use this kind of stuff unless the situation calls for it. There is a reason why this magic is highly forbidden." Medea said seriously as she opened a book and tossed it over to Jin. "If you want to read it, go ahead. Father won't mind. Just put it back when you're done."

Jin nodded mutely and flipped through the book in total silence. As he got further into the book, he saw that she wasn't kidding when she said that this stuff was forbidden. There was all kinds of offensive and defensive magic in here, ranging from magical shields to laser beams. He even caught sight of a spell that reminded him of reinforcement, except it was about a hundred times more powerful.

Definitely dangerous stuff in here. It made him shiver a little when he thought about how strong Medea would be if she mastered most of the spells in here. Considering how she was banished from her mainland when she decided to aid Jason in retrieving the Fleece, she wouldn't have another chance to come back here.

Even so, Medea was actually quite skilled with her magic. He hasn't actually seen her do much in the ways of offensive spells, but she has practiced healing spells on animals from the nearest farm. It was gross work, but she was able to fully heal a goat after she slashed it open with her knife, Rule Breaker.

Despite looking like easy pickings, she was undoubtedly very strong and would only get stronger if she continued with her studies here.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was reading from her tome with a focused look in her eyes, making him chuckle a little bit at how serious she was taking this. She looked up and frowned at him when she heard him.

"Something funny?" Medea asked with a cute tilt of her head.

Jin smiled. "No... Nothing at all."

They spent the rest of the afternoon in silence except for the sound of turning pages.


	16. Politics and negotiations

Desmond whistled to himself as he watched his fishing lure bob in the water. Despite having several opportunities to leave the boat on the pit stops they made, he had been too tired and lazy to even do so.

such is the story of his life.

Alex, Atalanta, and Heracles were on guard duty while the rest of the crew were sitting in a line and rowing the boat. It was actually quite amazing that engines didn't exist in this time. After all, you'd expect the god of the forges to already have come up with something like that, right?

Whatever. That wasn't his problem. It was a nice experience to actually not be sitting in front of a computer screen all day. It allowed him to actually notice things he never noticed before.

He felt a tug at the end of his line and pulled upward. A huge fish that was just as big as a shark flopped out of the water with its mouth hanging by the hook.

Any fisherman would have screamed in delight at getting a big catch, but Desmond just sighed. He whipped out a knife and cut the line, releasing the fish back into the ocean. Even to him, catching a fish this size was surprising, but it wasn't anything weirder than any of the crazy things he's seen since he got here.

His thoughts drifted to Jin and kuro. What were they doing right now? Probably training in the garden or doing whatever the hell they do in their freetime. Anchient Greece wasn't particularly well known for their fun unless a party was envolved.

He winced at that as he remembered what happened to Heracles when he took a sip from the wine that someone had carelessly left around him. Honestly, having alcohol around the guy who was prone to swinging a big club around whenever he was angry wasn't a really good idea.

Desmond felt another pull on his rod and jerked upwards again. This time, he pulled out something that resembled a yellow catfish. Creepy. Whipping out his knife once again, he cut the line and watched the fish tumble back into the sea.

"That's the 15th one you've let go today." Atalanta remarked as she watched him fish with interest. "Perhaps you should save one. The crew will get hungry sooner or later."

"Then that'll turn me into your guys personal chief." Desmond grumbled as he casted his line. "There's a lot of people on this ship, and they all eat a lot. Especially you and Heracles."

Atalanta blushed in embarassment. "I can't help it... Whenever I take a bite out of whatever you and Alex make, I can't help but eat more." The huntress addmitted.

Desmond chuckled a little bit at that. At times, Atalanta would act like a very noble woman who frowns at the sight of insubordination. On the other hand, whenever she was at the table, she practically tore through food. He wondered how in the world she managed to stay fit after eating so much.

"But you always act so formal a times." Desmond said with a small grin. "The only time you're like that is whe attacking the enemy."

"But I am attacking the enemy!" Atalanta argued with a cross look, causing desmond to raise an eyebrow

"Enemy? What enemy?" Desmond asked.

"The most fearsome enemy of all..." Atalanta said as her voice dramatically lowered. "... Hunger."

Desmond sweatdropped at that. It sounded like something only a middleschooler would say. "Geez... You're such a glutton." Desmond muttered with a shake of his head as he returned his attention back to his rod, missing Atalanta's embarrassed expression.

"T-that's not something you say to a lady!" Atalanta said with puffed out cheeks.

"But you're not a lady." Desmond said simply without blinking. Atalanta looked like she wanted to argue, but she quickly realized that this was a battle that she couldn't win. Grumbling, she turned around and aimed her skulking somewhere else.

"Geez, you two. Can't you keep it down?" Jason said with a sigh as he continued to watch the crew work. "Honestly, I can't turn my back on you two for even a second before you start fighting like children."

Atalanta and Desmond pouted. "We're not fighting like children!" Both of them responded at the same time, earning another sigh from Jason. However, the sounds of chuckling brought their attention to alex, who was standing at the side silently.

"Desmond, are you picking on Atalanta again?" Alex chided with an amused smile.

"She started it." Desmond said as he pointed an accusing finger at the huntress, earning a surprised look in response.

"oy... Don't go pointing fingers!" Atalanta defended with an offended look. "If I recall, you were the one who insulted me first!"

"I don't recall anything of the sort." Desmond lied with a blank expression. Atalanta hissed and her hand drifted dangerously towards her bow. Thinking now was the time for action, Alex decided to step in and defuse the bomb that has planted on the ship.

"Alright you two, let's calm down, shall we? If you two were to fight here, the ship might not survive." Alex said with a diplomatic tone. There was silence for a moment as nobody moved a single muscle. It was as if Atalanta would start shooting arrows everywhere if any of them made a move.

Finally, Atalanta sighed and returned her hand to her side. "...Fine." Atalanta grumbled while everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. "We're close to Thessaly right now. If you need me, I'll be downstairs." And with that, the huntress walked off with a huff, leaving the rest of them alone.

"Dude, you seriously need to stop teasing her." Alex said with a sigh, causing Desmond to pout.

"I thought she would take it easily." Desmond muttered as he continued to reel in his hook.

"Atalanta's more sensitive than others. She may act tough, but she doesn't show much of her emotion to anyone." Jason said with a shake of his head. "Just remember that. Wouldn't want you or her to get hurt if you two decided it would be funny to friendly fire each other."

"Sure, sure." Desmond said with a dismissive wave as he pulled out another shark and sighed. "Too small."

Alex shook his head and quickly followed after Atalanta. He descended the stairs and stepped into the main dining area, which was still messy after last nights party. Mugs were thrown everywhere, leftover food was sitting on the tables, and daggers and knives sticked out from the floor boards. Perhaps the argonauts were distant relatives of pirates, considering the mess they made.

He found Atalanta sitting on top of an overturned table with a mug in her hand. Judging from the smell, it was definitely wine. The overpowering smell of grapes was easily recognizable, even from several feet away.

"Drinking? That's a first." Alex said as he watched her take sips from her mug. Unlike the men, who downed their drinks in less than a second, she was more refined and slower. Almost as if she had been living in a castle for the past years.

"Well... You know. Thought I could use one." Atalanta muttered as she took another sip.

"You do know that Desmond was just playing with you, right?" Alex asked slowly. Atalanta grumbled something under her breath, but she nodded.

"Yeah, Yeah." Atalanta grumbled as she set her mug down. "I'm not offended, if that's what you're worried about. It's just... Talking with him like that brings a serious headache." The huntress said as she rubbed her head, trying to make the aching go away.

"If you have a headache, why are you drinking wine?" Alex asked with a confused look.

"It just makes me feel good, ya know?" Atalanta trailed off as she took another sip. When she brought her mug down, her cheeks were flushing red. "Plus, I like the taste."

Alex would have face palmed at her actions if he didn't find it adorable. The way her face flushed red like that, really made her look like a dog that was begging for food. Plus, the slur at the end of her words was a nice bonus as well. Still, he should stop her before she did something embarrassing.

"Atalanta... Maybe you should drink something else. Milk perhaps?" Alex suggested as he watched her take another sip from her mug.

"Awawawaw... I don't want to drink milk right now..." Atalanta whined with a cute pout as she held her drink closer to her. "My wine!"

Alex blinked twice at her words. "Atalanta..." Alex began with a stern voice. "Hand me that cup of wine, now."

"No!" Atalanta half yelled, half slurred, as she continued to hold the drink close to her.

"Give it."

"no.

"give it.

"no"

"Give it!"

"NO!"

"Alright... Time for plan B." Alex thought to himself. He crossed the room in three quick strides, fast enough to take the slurring Atalanta off guard, and placed his hand on her head. With a small pump of his chakra, he began taking control of her systems. To some degree, all living beings have chakra, no matter how big or small. It seems that concept is true for even this world. He shouldn't have been surprised, really, since the theory of chakra is a common system that is found in some parts of the modern world, especially Hinduism.

Right now, he was stimulating her brain with genjutsu. Her eyes were glazed off and unfocused for a moment before she collapsed into his arms with a groan. The illusion he had tricked her brain was calming and slow, making her tired faster.

"Geez... What a handful." Alex muttered as he held her gently in his arms. He looked over to the cup of wine she was holding, and found it spilled out all over the floor. "Well... I'm not going to clean that up. Get one of the Boreads to do it."

With a little bit of effort, he lifted Atalanta up into a princess carry and headed for her room. It'd take a while before the alcohol began filtering out of her systems. While that happens, it would do her some good to lay down on a soft mattress. He arrived at the entrance to her room, and quietly opened it before heading inside. The room wasn't very special or grand looking. Just a simple wooden room with a bed and a small desk.

"At least she's very modest." Alex said with a smile as he headed straight for the bed and gently laid the sleeping girl on it. He pulled the covers over her body, and patted her forehead gently. "Alright... that should be just about it."

As he got up to leave, he heard a groan coming from Atalanta. He turned around and found her twisting and turning in the bed with an uncomfortable expression on her face. His face softened, and he gently grasped her hand. The effect was instantaneous, and she immediately stopped moving. However, the grip she placed on his hands was practically iron. He wouldn't be able to pull away without throwing her off the bed and waking her up.

"...Well, guess I'm not going anywhere." Alex muttered with a shake of his head. He sat in the chair next to the bed, and tried to make himself comfortable. "Geez... Don't take too long, okay? This chair is going to kill me." Alex chuckled as he laid back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Thessaly may be close by, but it was still a few hours away. More than enough time for an R&R.

* * *

Atalanta's eyes fluttered open to the familiar scene of her bedrooms ceiling. She frowned for a moment as she tried to remember what happened before her face contorted in pain. Her left hand reached up and rubbed her forehead as she felt a massive headache wash over her.

"...Too much wine." Atalanta muttered to herself as the memory of what she was doing came back to her. She shook her head and sighed. "Well, at least that's over with... Now how did I get here?" She felt her hand clinging onto something and turned to see what it was. She was definitely _not_ expecting to see Alex sitting beside her bed asleep whilst holding her hand, nevertheless.

"W-what in hades? Why is he here?!" Atalanta thought with surprise and embarrassment as she stared at him. "Wait... Was he the one who brought me here? If so, why is he still here?" She looked at their intwined hands and frowned. His hand wasn't giving her any grip. Hers however...

"Oh gods... Was I holding him that tightly?" Atalanta blushed with an embarrassed look on her face. "This isn't good... What if the others see me like this?"

Indeed, that was the first priority on her mind. Her reputation as one of the most skilled members of this crew could not be tarnished in any way, shape, or form. Should someone walk in on them now, her image would shatter like a broken window.

Her headache hurt more at that thought.

Suddenly, Alex gave a small yawn and slowly opened his eyes. When he caught sight of her, he gave a wide smile that seemed to make her heart beat a little bit faster, bringing some kind of feeling to her stomach. "You're finally awake?"

Atalanta gave a slow nod. "Yes... I woke up a few seconds ago."

"That's good." Alex said with a small comforting squeeze of his hand. "You shouldn't drink so much. I had to step in before you did something stupid. Forgive me for that."

"Apology accepted." Atalanta said with a small smile. "Although, I don't see why you're apologizing. You did what you had to do."

"Hm... I guess. Still, it didn't feel right to not apologize." Alex said with a sigh. There was a small silence between the two for a moment before Atalanta spoke again.

"So why were you sleeping here? Shouldn't you have gone to your room?" Atalanta asked with a suspicious glare, causing Alex's face to heat up in embarrassment.

"You were holding my hand too tightly." Alex confessed. "Considering the state you were in, and the fact that I couldn't really go anywhere without throwing you off the bed, I decided to stay here until you wake up. I-it's not like I peeked or anything."

Hearing this, Atalanta felt her face heat up once again. So her suspicions were true. How embarrassing. Such acts were totally opposite of what people expect her to act. Lady Artemis would have probably been furious if she had seen how she was acting.

"P-please don't mention this to anyone..." Atalanta muttered meekly as she withdrew her hand and looked down in a very cute manner.

"A-ah, you got it." Alex stuttered with a small smile. "You have my word that this little incident won't leave this room."

Atalanta relaxed considerably, and her small smile seemed to have brightened considerably. "Thank you."

Alex shrugged. "It's no problem." He stood up and dusted himself off. "If you're feeling any better, we should probably head back upstairs. Jason might get suspicious if we are down here any longer." Atalanta nodded and rolled off the bed. As she stood up, she felt her back crack and let out a sigh.

"That felt good." Atalanta muttered as she grabbed her bow, which was sitting in the corner, and strapped it to her back. Just as she turned to address that she was ready, the door slammed open and Desmond strolled in with an excited look on his face.

"Guys! Guess what?! We're..." Desmond trailed off when he saw them. He took one look at both of their messy hair, their sleepy faces, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that popped first into his mind. Guess what it was?

"Alex... Did you and her..." Desmond began with a shaky finger point, causing Alex to shoot out of his chair with a red face.

"It's not like that!" Alex and Atalanta shouted at the same time. They gave each other a short glance before Alex continued. "Atalanta got drunk after she left, so I had to take her to her room. I watched over her until she woke up. We didn't do anything weird if that's what you're wondering."

Desmond silent for a moment before nodding. "Ok... That seems believable." Alex and Atalanta breathed a sigh of relief before Desmond continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, I've brought some happy news! We're pulling into the shores of Thessaly!"

At the mention of Thessaly, Atalanta's face grew excited. "We're almost done with this journey? That is good. It has been a while since I've ever hunted among these parts of the wilderness." Technically, she was the one who was always going first to scout out unfamiliar land, but that rarely even happened on the trip. At least she could go hunt animals to her hearts content when she stepped foot ashore

"Jason is also calling for us upstairs. Hurry up before he and the others start speculating like me." Desmond said with a wink as he ran out the door. Atalanta and Alex looked at each other for a brief moment, silently agreeing that such a thing shouldn't happen, before rushing after him.

* * *

"So this is Thessaly?" Alex wondered out loud as he stared at the approaching pier. "Nearly reminds me of Colchis a little bit."

Thessaly was certainly grand. Expected, since Thessaly was one of the most well known kingdoms of Greece back in the day. However, Colchis was still much more bigger and grander. Hell, Aeetes has a milk fountain installed in his courtyard. Can any other greek kingdom top that?

"Hasn't changed a bit since we left." Jason muttered with distaste as he eyed a castle towering above the rest of the buildings. "Pelias has probably already been informed of our presence. It won't be long before he sends soldiers to us."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Desmond asked.

"Probably not. People like him are greedy and cautious. If he gets word that we have returned with the fleece I highly doubt that he would try for a 'peaceful' approach." Atalanta said with a clear tone of distaste in her voice.

"So what should we do?" Alex questioned.

"Do whatever he tells us to do." Jason said as the boat pulled up into the harbor. The crew scurried around the boat quicker than usual with excited looks on their faces. After being left out at sea so long, it was normal for them to be excited.

"While the rest of the crew are decking the ship, we will go and confront Pelias in his royal chamber. The guards won't try to stop us once they see the Fleece." Jason said as he straightened his helmet, making him look a little bit more presentable. "Also, leave your weapons behind. Pelias will probably ask for that anyway."

Alex and Desmond nodded as they handed their weapons to Atalanta, who looked a little bit miffed. "Eh? Why are you giving them to me?"

Alex shrugged. "Because you're staying on board."

"Excuse me?" Atlanta said with a frown. "Why should I stay back here? I'm not your caretaker!"

"Atalanta, it's not like we don't want you to come." Jason explained quickly before another fight broke out. "But... You're the only responsible one here besides me that can control these guys. I made Heracles do it once, and it ended up with the entire crew passed out drunk. I'd rather not have a repeat of that again."

Atalanta was silent for a moment before she sighed. "Fine. Don't expect me to come to your rescue if you land yourself in trouble."

"We'll keep that in mind." Desmond said as he grabbed the Golden Fleece from its post. "Alright, let's head out. I want to see this king in person." Without even waiting for a response, Desmond jumped off the ship and onto the pier. Jason sighed and followed after him, determined not to let him wander around alone. Alex was about to follow suit before he stopped for a second before flashing Atalanta a smile.

"Try not to kill them, alright?" Alex teased before he vanished over the side of the ship. Atalanta blinked for a moment before sighing. When she turned around, however, she saw the looks of every male on the ship. Feeling her ire growing, she decided to abuse her position a little bit.

"What are you staring at? Get your assess back to work!" Atalanta barked sharply, causing the crew members to jump slightly before returning back to their duties.

* * *

"I hate all of this attention." Desmond muttered as he held the fleece protectively. News of their arrival has already spread through the city like wildfire and has caused everyone to go into an international frenzy as they drew their eyes upon the magical golden carpet slung across his shoulder while whispering among themselves.

"That's the golden Fleece..."

"Really? The one from Colchis?"

"Yes! It came from the magical golden super sheep that used to fly over the kingdoms every year!"

"Super sheep?"

"Super sheep!"

"What's with the kids and super sheep?" Alex whispered as they walked past a group of kids.

"You know how kids are." Jason said with a shrug as they continued walking. From time to time, a group of guards would walk by them and give them some suspicious looks as they passed. Most of the looks they got were aimed at Jason, making him tense up a little bit.

"The guards don't seem to like you." Desmond pointed out.

"If Pelias doesn't like someone, his guards usually follow suit. They're suck ups. If kissing up to the king will help them keep their status and jobs, then they will do it without question." Jason said with a sigh as his fingers clenched and unclenched as he forced down the anxiety building within him.

"Try to relax." Alex advised. "If things go wrong, we'll get you out of it. We're not exactly keen on handing over the Fleece." Jason's shoulders relaxed and he gave a small grateful nod.

"Yes... You're right. Worrying about what could happen isn't something that I should be focused on." Jason muttered as he looked up and saw a group of guards walking towards them. Judging by the more official armor that they were wearing, they were Pelias' personal guard. Handpicked by him himself out of thousands of other candidates. They were the strongest and most hardened men in his military. The lead soldier stepped forward and pointed his spear shaft at them, stopping them in place.

"Halt. By order of King Pelias himself, we have been ordered to confront you." The soldier said with a monotone voice.

"Hm? The king isn't meeting with us?" Alex wondered out loud as his eyes darted back and forth. They had already made their way to the front of the castle and their were no civilians in sight. The only people he could see where a bunch of guards milling around suspiciously.

"King Pelias is... Busy." The guard said with a smile that was devoid of any warmth. "He sent us in his stead."

"The usual I see." Jason muttered with a shake of his head. The soldier turned his gaze towards him and his face turned colder.

"Hm... You haven't changed. Still, we never thought that you would manage to pull this off." The soldier said as he eyed him distastefully.

"What about our promise? I have brought the Fleece like he said. I am entitled to my position as king, am I not?" Jason asked expectantly. The soldier paused for a moment before chuckling.

"Ah... yes. King Pelias has promised you your position..." The soldier trailed off. "After he dies."

Jason glared daggers at the soldier. "What? He promised me my position once I returned with the Fleece! Is he going back on his agreement that we swore on?!"

The soldier shook his head with mirth. "You asked him to give it to you when you came back with the fleece. Never once did you tell him specifically when he should give it to you."

"Bastard..." Jason muttered.

"Still, he is grateful that you have brought such a treasure back to Greece." The guard held out his hand towards Desmond. "Hand it over, Colchis scum. That property belongs to our kingdom alone. For you to have stolen it from us is a great dishonor that will be met with death unless you comply." He frowned in surprise, however, when he was met with a bored look from Desmond.

"Is that supposed to be intimidating?" Desmond asked while he continued to give off a bored look. "Hand over the Fleece? Don't make me laugh. Why should I bother honoring your agreement?"

The man growled. "You dare to defy the words of our king?" The soldiers around them gripped their weapons tightly, as if waiting for the man to give them an order.

"I personally don't care much for your kings words." Desmond said with a wave of his hand. He looked past the guard and smirked. "Plus, I don't think he'll be around much longer to even spout words."

The soldiers frowned when they caught his gaze. They turned around and widened their eyes in surprise as they saw Alex bounding up the steps to the castle. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was doing. With a snarl, the lead soldier raised his spear.

"Stop them! Stop the criminals!" The man roared before he turned around and stabbed his spear towards Jason.

"Whoa there." Desmond said as his hand shot forward and caught the spear, stopping the point inches away from Jason's face. "What do you think you're doing?" With a small amount of effort, he broke the spear in half and spartan kicked the man backwards in the process, sending him flying back into a group of guards.

"Get back to the boat." Desmond said simply.

"Y-yeah... got it." Jason muttered as he turned and made a beeline back to the boat. The guards were already snapping out of their confusion and were branching out to coordinate their efforts. While the greeks weren't as dependent on teamwork like the romans, they were still adequate at it. Most of the forces chose to confront him while the rest of them chased after Alex, waving their spears around as they clambered after him.

"You know, it's not too late to turn around and walk away from this. Soon, your king will be replaced by another and he won't be merciful for those who choose to follow the words of a dead person. Drop your weapons now and walk away. This is a battle that you cannot win." Desmond said with a calm tone. Some of the soldiers shifted around a bit, but none of them backed down.

"Don't underestimate us! You're surrounded by an entire battalion and you think you're going to get out of this alive?" One of the soldiers yelled out, making the rest of the other soldiers stand their ground. Desmond sighed and scratched his head as he turned to the man that had spoken.

"Oh? Trying to be tough, eh?" Desmond looked the guy up and down before nodding. "What if I told you that I had something right now that would be able to clean out all of the stupid brain matter inside of your head?"

The soldier blinked at that. "Wha-"

*CRACK*

Suddenly, the greek's head exploded into a red mist of blood. The rest of the soldiers stumbled away from the man in shock as they saw what had happened to his head. The entire right side of his head was suddenly gone, showing all of the disgusting liquids inside.

"Guess I blew his mind." Desmond joked with a small smirk. In his right hand, was a small gun or at least small comparing it next to a rifle. The gun was sleek black and had more firepower than any kind of pistol aside from a magnum was expected to have.

It was a Desert Eagle. One of the most powerful handguns in the world. This particular model fired .44 magnum rounds, giving it the power to pierce and tear through most objects. Said objects in question were mostly human ribs and organs.

He didn't think that making a gun like this would be able to do anything. Since it was made using his chakra, however, it was definitely a little bit stronger than it should be. Considering how far the technology was during this age. It was probably beyond the soldiers comprehension to what happened to their comrade.

"Well? You guys were talking all that good shit a second ago, what happened?" Desmond asked with a frown as he lowered his gun. "Oh, are you all wondering what happened to your little buddy? It's quite simple really. Why don't you take a close look?"

The men were frozen for a couple of seconds before they roared in anger and charged forward. Desmond sighed and raised his gun before firing twice, killing two soldiers before jumping back and avoiding the pointy sticks that stuck into the ground.

He retreated backwards and casually fired several rounds into the crowd, killing soldiers with every shot. His eyes kept track of everything that was going on ensuring that he wouldn't make a mistake on the battlefield. More guards poured out of the castle and were now converging in on his position, probably attracted by all the screaming and loud noises.

"Kill him!"

"Grab the Fleece!"

"Super sheep!"

"Jesus... what's with the townspeople and super sheep?" Desmond muttered as he continued firing. He dove behind a wall and avoided a spear that flew past his location. He put his hand into his pocket and wormed a little bit of his chakra. When he brought his hand out, there were several pieces of paper with a symbol of intricate design on them.

"Well... Let's see how you handle this." He threw the paper behind him, and watched as it scattered across the courtyard. The soldiers blinked in confusion at to what was happening, but they didn't slow down their charges. However, the second one of them stepped onto one of the papers, he vanished in a bright explosion, effectively halting their charge.

"Holy shit! These things explode!" One of the soldiers screamed as he stared at the mess in front of him. The rest of the soldiers inched around the strewn out paper cautiously, as if they were somehow going to accidentally step on them.

"No shit!"

"What do we do?!"

"Calm down, everyone!"

"We'll wait till reinforcements arrive! Until then, nobody move an inch!"

Desmond sighed and released a little bit of his chakra. Once the chakra swept over the exploding tags, they immediately set it off. The men didn't even have enough time to scream before most of them were evaporated by the explosion.

"Hm... Wonder how Alex is fairing." Desmond muttered as he glanced up towards the castle.

* * *

"Get back here!"

"Halt!"

"Stop right there!"

"Sorry, don't have time for that!" Alex shot back as he ran towards the throne room. He didn't have his weapons with him, but it didn't make him any more deadly. With a simple kick reinforced with chakra, he smashed his foot into the doors and kicked them down.

"Knock knock!" Alex exclaimed cheerfully as he stepped into the room. He suddenly frowned when he felt several pointy spears being pointed at him by several grinning guards. "Hm? Are you really this happy to see me?"

"A jokester I see." A voice said. Alex looked up towards the throne and saw a middle aged man standing there with kingly robes and a hard face. "You think you can just stroll into my quarters and live? You dishonor me, filthy vermin."

"Hey, I wouldn't have had to do this if you had just honored your agreement from the beginning." Alex defended with a sigh, completely uncaring about all the dangerous sticks inches away from his face. "Still... I might be inclined to let you live if you step down from your throne."

"Outrageous! Not only do you dare stroll in here without my permission, you also have the gall to ask of something like that from me! Guards! Deal with this man!" Pelias shouted. One of the guards approached him and whipped out a piece of cloth, presumably to bind him with. When he got within grabbing distance, Alex balled his fist and slammed it straight into the man's face with a satisfying crunch. The guards still stood there in surprise. Clearly, they weren't expecting him to fight back.

Pelias stumbled back before addressing his soldiers with a higher pitched voice. "W-what are you doing just standing there? Kill him! In fact, whoever can kill him first will get a raise!"

THAT spurred the soldiers on.

Leaping into action, Alex quickly grabbed the nearest soldier and hurled him towards his friends, knocking them down before they had a chance to react. He grabbed the shaft of a spear from another soldier and broke it in half before proceeding to stab the piece into the guys chest, causing him to keel over in a pool of blood. One of the soldiers drew a sword and cleaved towards his neck, aiming to take it off in one shot. He ducked under the strike and tackled the man to the ground. He grabbed the mans wrist before he could raise his weapon and wrapped his leg around it. With a forceful tug, he felt the man's arm snap as he let out a scream of pain.

Pelias, seeing as things weren't going so well, decided it was wise for him to hurry and get the hell out of there. He turned and quickly ran through a door, retreating into the hallway. Alex quickly got up and ran after him, determined not to let him get away.

For a king, the dude was pretty fast. He knew the castle layout more than he did, making it easy for him to navigate around. As Alex followed him around the corner, he found two guards with spears charging at him to protect their king.

He sidestepped a jab from the first guard and sent a kick between the man's legs, earning a small whimper before the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground. The second guy, however, seemed to be much more skilled than the others. He constantly kept him at bay with his spear, and wasn't making a move towards him. He was buying time for Pelias to get away.

"Tch... Smart one." Alex thought as he shot forward and grabbed the spear, entering into a deadlock with the man. They stayed like that for several seconds as they struggled against each other, throwing each other against the corridor to try and break free from their struggle. Alex saw Pelias out of the corner of his eye and saw that he was getting away. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his knee straight into the guys stomach, causing him to bend over before quickly wrapping his arms around his neck and throwing him into the ceiling with a crack. Without even stopping to see what happened, Alex resumed giving chase, only hearing a body fall back to the ground as he left.

"S-stay back!" Pelias shouted with fear as he overturned objects as he ran by. Alex didn't say anything, and just focused on not loosing his sight on the king. He vaulted over a desk without breaking his speed and continued running.

As he passed a window, he looked out and saw soldiers streaming out below. It seems Desmond had brought most of the attention to him and would find himself with his hands full. He hoped that the argonauts would pull through and arrive on time.

He turned another corner and found Pelias climbing the stairs with several guards blocking it. Seeing him, they all charged forward at once. They weren't going to attack him one-on-one. They learned not to underestimate him.

Grabbing a nearby table, he swung it around and tossed it. The desk smashed into two of the guys heads and sent them to the ground. He dodged a sword strike and karate chopped the man in the neck, causing him to drop his sword as his hands went to his neck. Alex grabbed the man and brought him around as another guard stabbed at him with his spear, using him as a human shield, he blocked the attack with the unfortunate man.

"Sorry." Alex muttered as he grabbed the dudes sword and embedded it in the man's head. Running once again, he climbed the stairs just in time to see Pelias move down another hallway. He followed after him and found that they had arrived at a balcony. It was clear to Alex that Pelias was effectively trap.

And it seems that Pelias knew it as well.

"W-wait! Please... If you let me go I'll- GAH!" Pelias screamed as Alex proceeded to backhand him off the top of the balcony, effectively sending him plummeting to his death several stories below into his courtyard.

"What was that?!" Alex called after him. "You didn't finish!"

He'd never be able to finish. After all, one does not simply fall several stories and effect to live without magical powers. Alex knew, without doubt, the king was not magical at all considering the broken form of Pelias on the ground.

"Well... time to go and help Desmond." Alex muttered as he dusted his hands off and backtracked the way he came.

* * *

 **6,460 words... man that's a lot. This is by far the longest chapter that I have ever written. It was certainly enjoyable to come up with the chase scene and the exchange with the guards. It sort of reminded me of something that would only happen in a call of duty campaign.**

 **As you know, this is going to be a time travel story. Not going to spoil much, but I would love to see suggestions on which servants you would like to see in the future. I'd prefer if they were some of the other mostly unused servants. Mostly the only servants seen in fanfics are the ones in fate/stay night and fate/zero. I would love to see suggestions for ones from fate/extra and fate/apocrypha.**

 **I'll try to release the new chapter soon. Stay tuned until then!**

 **Edit: all servants that you have seen thus far will be permanent. I'm simply asking for suggestions on who you would love to see. If I can make it work, I'll include them in my story. I already have a few in mind, so who knows? Some people might get lucky.**

 **-baloshua**


	17. Long live the kill

Thessaly was in absolute chaos.

...for about 30 minutes.

The reaction of the public when they saw the smoke and explosions coming from the castle ground was pandemonium and chaos in the streets. It sort of went something like this.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

"WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Pretty much all there was to it. It didn't help that the argonauts were charging through the streets in a mad rush towards the castle to save their faithful, dashing, and awesome comrades from the clutches of evil.

They had arrived just in time to find that the entire courtyard had been charred with the scars of battle. Numerous weapons and bodies had fallen on the ground along with random body parts that were unlucky enough to be standing at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What in the gods name happened here?" Meleager muttered as he surveyed the gruesome scene with a grim face. "This is... unnatural. Two people shouldn't be able to cause this much carnage."

"Indeed." Phlias, a son of Dionysus, said in agreement. "We have to find Alex and Desmond as soon as possible. Everyone go ahead and spread out! Destroy any guards that you see!" Everyone nodded and fanned out around the courtyard as they searched for their comrades. Atalanta stayed behind for a moment, however, and surveyed the destruction with a serious look.

"Desmond... Alex..." Atalanta muttered in worry. She had already sensed that something was wrong when Jason returned back to the boat with a worried expression, but this scenario was worse than she thought it was. These soldiers were the high guards! The best of the best. Last time she counted, there were a lot of them. Could they have overwhelmed Desmond and Alex with their numbers?

She took a deep breath. No. That wasn't possible. She had seen what Alex and Desmond were capable of doing. They had the brains and the brawn to fight through this situation. She knew they wouldn't have gone down without a fight. She examined the bodies and frowned. She had been expecting them to have slash or piercing wounds around their bodies. Instead of a slash, however, there were holes.

"What in Hades?" Atalanta muttered as she examined the strange wounds. They weren't made from any of the standard spears and swords. They weren't made from arrows either since there were no arrows sticking out of them. She rolled one of the bodies over and frowned. There was an exit wound on the other side. Whatever it was that hit him must have been as small as a pebble or a really thin blade.

She stood up and sniffed the air. Her sense of smell and hearing were much more greater than an average human. As a woman of the wild, she trained her senses daily to navigate through the wilderness better. She prided herself on her sense of smell, though, since she had boasted before that she was able to tell two different people apart by their smell.

Right now, she was doing just that. It took her a couple of seconds, but she finally detected a smell that vaguely resembled the sea. She immediately linked that smell with Desmond, since he was the one who came into contact with sea creatures on his daily fishing routines. She followed after the scent and found that it lead deeper into the castles defenses.

"So many dead..." Atalanta thought to herself as she stepped over some fallen soldiers. She didn't feel any compassion for them and she couldn't really bring herself to care. What mattered to her now was to find Desmond and Alex so they could get out of here. She silently worked her way through the courtyard before she stopped and tensed as the sounds of metal boots and armor reached her ears.

"More intruders! Let's go!" One of the guards yelled. Atalanta retreated behind a nearby pillar and watched as several armed guards ran past her in the direction of several Argonauts. She could have killed them all, but her top priority was to trace Desmond's smell. The others would be able to handle themselves just fine. She ducked out of her position and stealthily moved up in pursuit of the scent.

She arrived at a set of double doors with two dead guards outside. She pressed her ear against the doors and listened carefully for any indication of guards inside. Once she was satisfied that there was no one inside, she pushed the doors open which emitted a small creak. She peered inside and was greeted with the sight of other dead guards. The inside of the room slightly resembled a pub. She guessed that this was the place where the guards would go on their breaks while they were still needed at the castle. Judging by the lack of armor and weapons, they weren't expecting an attack.

She moved in cautiously but made no attempt to draw her bow. It would be much more easier and less cumbersome to go hand to hand instead of shooting arrows in such a small area. She found a dagger sitting in one of the soldiers hands and promptly took it without a second thought. In her line of work, the dead didn't have any need for worldly possessions.

She moved past the bar and found stone steps leading directly downward. Desmond's scent was coming from down there but it was getting harder and harder to detect with all of the other smells getting thrown in. She carefully descended the steps, knife at the ready as she expected something to come out of the shadows.

"Of all the places he could have gone to it had to be here." Atalanta muttered in annoyance. The smell of animal feces was everywhere and it was starting to get annoying. Every single smell was picked up from her nose, like it or not.

She finally reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself in some kind of underground cave. It was definitely man made if the interior designs had anything to say about it. She glanced around and zeroed in on a group of soldiers in front of a stone door. They were talking amongst themselves and kept glancing at the door as if there was something wrong with it.

She narrowed her eyes. "What are they...?" She froze when she realized what was happening. Desmond must have retreated behind those doors and wasn't coming out. The soldiers either must have been afraid or smart to just stay standing outside the door considering what he has done to their comrades.

Six of them in total and they weren't expecting her. Easy pickings. She quietly vaulted over the edge and dropped quietly to the ground. Her footsteps were absolutely silent. Natural after the amount of time and experience she had hunting.

Silently and quickly, she crossed the distance between her and the soldiers and decided to go after the nearest one. As the soldier stepped away from his buddies for a little reprieve, she made her move.

"Mrf?!" The soldier screamed as he felt Atalanta's hand clamp tightly around his mouth. She jammed the knife into the back of the soldiers neck, avoiding having to pierce through armor. The man jerked for a moment before he went completely still as the life vanished from his eyes. Atalanta took the knife out the guys neck and professionally moved away.

"Cepheus? You there?" A voice called out as a man appeared from around the corner. The man's mouth froze in shock as he took in the form of his dead comrade. His hand quickly went to his spear instinctively when he realized a threat was in the area.

"Curses." Atlanta inwardly cursed as she raised her arm and threw the knife with extreme precision and speed. Not only was it precise enough to hit the man's neck. But it was also strong enough to sever the man's head from his body, more force than was really required. She didn't care about that, though. She immediately drew her bow and notched two arrows into her bow.

Two more men appeared and brandished their weapons in defiance. Such actions didn't protect them, however, from the two projectiles that had lodged themselves perfectly in their forehead. The two men fell backwards and were dead before they even hit the ground.

The two remaining guards were now on high alert, but it would not save them. Atalanta was already bringing another set of arrows to her bow and pulling back on the bowstring. Without even pulling the string all the way back, she released the arrows with blinding speed and watched as it easily pierced the men's armor and his body before being stopped against the stone wall.

Such power from a mere bow was unnatural by human standards. However, her bow was **Tauropolos: Bow of Heaven.** It was a divine artifact bestowed upon her by Artemis herself. Being an artifact forged by the gods and not meant for human hands, it was exceedingly powerful. Most humans could never wield a bow this big and powerful. Being one of the most skilled and famous archers of all time, however, she quickly grew accustomed to it in a few days after receiving it.

She lowered her bow and strapped it back in place on her back before advancing towards the door. There was no indication that Desmond was on the other side, but his scent was definitely at its strongest here.

"Desmond... Are you there?" Atalanta called out as she knocked twice on the stone door. There was silence for a moment and Atalanta was starting to wonder if she was wrong before a voice responded through the door.

"Atalanta? Is that you?" Desmond's voice called out to signify that he was there.

Atalanta breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, it's me. The argonauts rushed over immediately when Jason told us that you and Alex were in danger." She paused for a moment. "You're not hurt are you?"

The door opened and Desmond stepped out. Despite being covered in blood after massacring battalions of soldiers, he didn't seem any worse for wear. He raised his sleeve and wiped a little bit of sweat from his brow before smiling.

"Nah. I'm fine. The guards were incompetent when it came to dealing with me. Poor excuses for guards if you asked me." Desmond said with a grin.

"They never take things seriously." Atalanta said with a sigh before she froze when she realized something important. "...Where's Alex?"

Desmond frowned. "He chased after Pelias while I dealt with the rest of the guards. I don't know what's become of him."

Atalanta's blood froze a little bit, but she quickly composed herself. "Can you tell me where he went?"

Desmond raised an eyebrow at her before smiling. "Worried about him, eh? Don't worry, little sister. We shall save him if he has fallen into trouble!" Desmond said with a dramatic pose while Atalanta stared at him with a gaping mouth.

"L-little sister?!" Atalanta sputtered with shock at such a title before she puffed out her cheeks in what was supposed to be an angry expression but was instead turned into an adorable pout. "I am not your little sister! Don't go around calling me that!"

Desmond smirked before he placed his hand on Atlanta's head and began ruffling it. "Of course we're not related to each other by blood, but rather, bond. You, me, and Alex have been through a lot together! I don't see any problem with calling you that." Desmond finished with a happy smile. Atalanta fell silent but she couldn't help having a small amused expression form on her face.

She could see that they were a little bit alike in some ways. Both were headstrong, impatient, and fought a little bit at times, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't respect him.

"Fine. Call me that if you so wish." Atalanta said with a sigh as she shrugged Desmond's hand away from her. "That is not on my list of concerns. Right now, we should be trying to find Alex."

Desmond nodded and his expression turned serious. "Alright, follow me. Cover my back while we move, ok?" Atalanta nodded and followed behind him as he ran off and began ascending the stairs. When they reached the above ground, the sounds of fighting raged from outside. Both of them bursted through the door and found themselves once again back on the battlefield.

The fighting between the soldiers and the argonauts had converged into one part of the courthouse. The soldiers may have had the superior numbers, but the argonauts simply had more skill on their side. Plus, most of the argonauts were actually demigods themselves, making them stronger than an average human.

Heracles was the one who had captured most of the soldiers attention. Not surprising since he was clearly the biggest threat out of the rest of the argonauts. Heracles roared as he swept his huge stone club and smacked the soldiers to the side. The force of his swing was so strong that it separated several limbs from the soldiers as they flew into a wall, scattering blood everywhere.

The Boreads had taken to the skies and were performing hit-and-run tactics, slashing at the soldiers before flying out of weapons reach. Right now, everyone was contributing to the battle, no matter how big or small it made.

"Seems like everyones putting the effort." Desmond grinned as he cracked his knuckles and neck. "Good. This'll take the attention off of us for a while. Let's hurry up and try to find Alex, little sister."

Atalanta sighed but didn't bother to even fight him for calling her that. "Let's go. The more we wait, the harder it'll be to find him." She frowned for a moment before a thought occurred to her. "Do you have a plan to find him? I could try tracking him by scent but the battle has probably made it un-recognizeable by now."

"Don't worry about it. Just give me a moment." Desmond said as he closed his eyes and forced his senses to expand outward. Every living human had a chakra system even if they don't even notice it or ever use it. Just like their genes, chakra signatures were different from person to person, making it easier for friendly ninja to detect each other. He continued expanding his sense before he felt Alex's familiar chakra. He was moving fast, and it seems he was chasing after the king if the frantic chakra signature that was running away from him was any indication.

"I've found him." Desmond announced. "Follow me and stick close. Don't want you to get lost, would we?" Desmond teased before running off into the crowd before Atalanta could retort.

"Stop doing that, damn it!" Atalanta inwardly cursed as she followed after him. Being the swiftest person in her era, she was able to easily keep up with him despite the ongoing fight that was occurring all around her. She had no idea how Desmond was even able to tell where Alex was, but she hazard to guess that it was through his magic. She wasn't really knowledgeable in that kind of field, but using magic to locate someone else seemed normal compared to the other stuff that Desmond and Alex had done in the past.

They turned the corner and came face to face with another squad of soldiers. Desmond didn't even slow down as he simply charged straight into the advancing group without a single break in his step.

"Coming through!" Desmond yelled with glee as he simply charged into the advancing group. The guards yelled and screamed in surprised as Desmond sent all of them flying by simply charging straight through them, cutting a straight path for her. Atalanta spared the poor soldiers a glance as she charged after Desmond, but she didn't feel any pity.

"Are we getting closer?" Atalanta asked impatiently.

"Soon." Desmond said cryptically as he began slowing down.

"Can't you ever give a straight answer?" Atalanta complained.

"Sorry." Desmond said but he didn't sound very sorry. "Right now, Alex should be directly above us."

"Above us?" Atalanta looked up and frowned. "How do you know?"

"Magic. duh." Desmond said with a deadpan look. He looked up and frowned for a moment. "He should be appearing now..."

On cue, the form of a man had fallen off of the balcony. Atalanta's eyes widened in panic for a moment before narrowing. The shape of the man's body wasn't Alex's. It was shorter and more plumper than Alex's own toned body.

Besides, if it was Alex then he would be able to save himself and wouldn't be screaming like a little girl.

She and Desmond stepped to the side and watched as the screaming man finally impacted the ground next to them with a sickening crunch. They leaned over and peered at the man's face, which was stuck on a look of horror.

"It's... the king." Atalanta muttered in awe as she stared at the man's broken face. She looked back up and found Alex peering down on them from above before turning around and vanishing back into the castle.

"See? What did I tell you? He had everything under control." Desmond said with a smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder before getting a weird look on his face. "Now... Let's go greet your boyfriend, eh?"

Atalanta immediately rounded upon him with a furious look on her face. "Stop making such assumptions you cur! I have sworn an oath of chastity and would never develop these 'feelings' that you accuse me of having!"

Desmond gave a hearty laugh but didn't say anything. There'd be better times for him to make fun of her later.

* * *

"That's Colchis." Kuro said simply as he pointed with Aima at the familiar kingdom. "Beautiful, no?"

"So cool! So that's what a kingdom looks like!" Chrysaor gushed in awe as he stared at the massive buildings from above.

"Hmph. It doesn't seem different from the other kingdoms I've been to." Euryale said with a huff as she crossed her arms. What she just said was a complete lie. Colchis was just as big or maybe even bigger than the normal kingdoms she and Stheno have been to.

"It does look livelier than the rest of them, though." Stheno admitted as she stared at the things called 'humans' below as they went about their daily routines.

Medusa remained silent, not having anything to say. She was happy that Kuro had generously offered them to live in his kingdom. Such kindness given to her by someone else other than her sisters and Chrysaor was a nice experience.

Still... Kuro wasn't the king. Even if he claimed that he was quite close to him, would he even allow a monster such as her to even stay here? She knew what politics were like and accepting her would surely create a bad reputation.

She shook her head. She could only hope for the best, which was totally unlike her. Wishing and hoping were things that didn't make any difference in your life. If you wanted something, you had to earn it with your own hands. Wishing won't do that for you.

"We should land soon... Pegasus will start attracting attention." Medusa announced with her usual voice, completely hiding how she was feeling about all this. Kuro nodded and pointed towards the castle.

"That's where we are heading. Just land in the courtyard and I'll take care of the talking." Kuro said with a yawn. Medusa nodded and spurred Pegasus on towards the castle. She hoped that the humans below wouldn't make such a big fuss about this. She wasn't really interested with dealing with their problems.

Pegasus didn't seem to care about garnering attention, though. Her steed was already quite famous as of now when he was spotted flying across the land on his own accord while in the care of the hero Bellerophone. All that praise must have gone to his head.

"Don't do anything flashy, alright?" Medusa whispered to Pegasus, earning a snort in response as the horse slowly began their descent. Kuro looked down and grinned when he saw several familiar forms below them.

"Let's land." Kuro said. "People are waiting for us."

Medusa nodded. She whipped the reigns once again and made Pegasus descend faster. As pegasus' feet touched the ground, Kuro immediately dismounted and moved to greet the people waiting for him.

"...Took you long enough." Jin said with a flat look.

"Busy." Kuro said simply. Jin nodded in understanding before he looked at the lance he was holding.

"Where'd you get that?" Jin asked with tilt of his head.

"Poseidon." Kuro said simply. Jin didn't even show a reaction other than a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, how's the others been?"

Jin sighed. "Luke and Absyrtus haven't been too worried. Medea and Chalciope on the other hand..."

"KURO!"

Kuro felt his blood run cold as he eyed the woman approaching him. Jin winced a little bit before distancing himself from kuro, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire that was surely going to ensue.

Kuro quickly flashed a smile at the irate woman, hoping to lessen the pain. "Ah... hi Medea. I see you're still the same as usual."

Medea's face didn't even soften as she pointed a finger at him between his eyes. "Don't act so casual about this! You've been gone far longer then you should have been!"

"It was only a day." Kuro protested.

"Argh! Don't say that like it was trivial!" Medea scolded with her hands on her head in an irritated manner.

"But it really was trivial..." Kuro muttered.

"Don't mind her. She just keeps worrying herself even after I told her not to." Jin said with a sigh.

"Not you too!" Medea said as she turned on jin with a pout.

"But onto the real question at hand." Jin said with a sudden change in mood. "Who are they?" he asked as he looked at the gorgon sisters with a raised eyebrow. Chrysaor seemed to shrink a bit at the look, and it was obvious the rest of them were not comfortable either.

"Who do you think they are?" Kuro asked, even though he knew that Jin had already recognized them. Jin was silent for a brief moment before finally nodding his head in response.

"Hm... I see. Are you going to go see the king then?"

"Yeah. He isn't busy, right?"

"Dad's just up in his throne room." Medea said. She was still staring at Pegasus with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. She didn't say anything, though, realizing that it would be rude of her to ask why the mystical flying horse had decided to land here.

"Thanks." Kuro said before he gestured to Medusa. "Alright you four, follow me." The four of them nodded, and began following after Kuro as he began walking ahead. Medea watched them leave out of the corner of her eyes and frowned.

"I can't believe this. He's away for a while and comes back with three beautiful women and a cute little boy." Medea muttered with a shake of her head. "Who were they anyway?"

"Who do you think?" Jin asked.

Medea frowned. "Do you know?"

"It's obvious." Jin said with an amused smile. "Think about it, where was he supposed to go when he left the castle?"

Medea paused for a moment to recall. "The shapeless Isle, right?"

"Correct." Jin said with a nod. "And who do you think lives on said island?"

Medea blinked before her eyes widened. "HE BROUGHT BACK MEDUSA?!"

"Too loud, Medea." Jin muttered as he stuck his pinkie in his ear.

"Does he know what he's doing?! He just brought back someone that everyone in the entire world wants dead!" Medea hissed. While she didn't have anything against the woman, she had no idea how her father would react to having a dangerous woman staying in his kingdom.

"Relax. If Medusa was such a big threat then Kuro would have killed her immediately. As for why he brought her here... Well, it can be said that it was on a whim." Jin said with a sigh.

"Wait... You're telling me that Kuro only does stuff on a whim?" Medea asked with an incredulous look.

"Aye."

"...He's odd." Medea declared.

"You haven't seen anything." Jin said with a sigh as he ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "Come on... Let's go find Absyrtus and Luke. I'm sure they'll be happy to see Kuro again."

"Why they would is beyond my understanding." Medea said with a huff.

"Stop trying to hide it." Jin scolded with an amused smile. "You missed him too, didn't you?"

Medea was silent before turning away with a huff. "I-i guess it would have been quieter if he wasn't around..."

Jin chuckled, before giving Medea a pat on the head. "You're really stubborn, aren't you?" Jin said with a smile, causing Medea to blush. "I wouldn't call it a bad thing, though. It's unique."

"S-stop that!" Medea whined as she removed his hand from her hair. "You know I don't like it when you do that!" The witch said with a cute pout. Jin just laughed and withdrew his hand.

"You're a terrible liar." Jin teased. Technically, that wasn't true at all. Medea's powers of persuasion was great enough to even fool him a couple of times on several occasions and she did it all without a trace of magic. Women were said to be better liars than me, after all.

"...You know that's not true." Medea said with a deadpan.

Jin shrugged. "Just as true about you not missing Kuro."

"...Shut up."

"Feisty, eh?"

* * *

There wasn't a single casualty amongst the Argonauts. The kings personal guards, however, have sustained a brutal blow. More than half of the guards had been killed amongst the battle, which was reaching around 150 to 200. Why would the king even have that many guards at his disposal?

Turns out that most of the soldiers were people who personally knew Pelias or came from families that knew him. The guy was able to use his status as king and his wealthy money to buy these guys off to do things behind the scenes. You had a political opponent you wanted to take care of quickly? Poof, he'd just send several of his soldiers under the cover of darkness and kill the guy. Probably by slipping a poison in his drink when no one is looking.

The guards had surrendered after they had seen the fallen body of their late king lying broken on the courtyard ground. Without him, there was no need for them to continue fighting. After all, they weren't going to be paid anymore. The people didn't even seem to care that their old king was dead. In fact, they seemed to celebrate in joy once the news reached their ears and began throwing sacrifices to the gods in the streets below.

The olympian gods were currently getting a lot of SWAG for something they didn't even put more than 5% of effort into. Although, it always was like that whenever something that can't be explained happens.

It wasn't news to the people that Jason was going to be appointed the king in his place because of the public oath he had given to him. They had begun parading him around the town on their shoulders for the past half hour before they began preparations for a feast to celebrate this wonderful moment.

Still, the argonauts didn't come out of the battle unscathed. Most of the argonauts had been severely injured, and wouldn't be able to attend the ceremony tonight, much to their disappointment. Heracles himself had several spears sticking out of him in random points, but he removed them without so much as a wince in response. Atalanta had decided to help tend to the wounded, leaving Alex and Desmond alone.

"You think Thessaly is going to be alright?" Alex asked as he watched the civilians dance in the street. "I mean... It's not like they'll immediately get better once Jason gets on the throne."

"In time." Desmond replied with a bored look as he gazed at the people from his position on the roof. Seeing his look, Alex gave a long drafted sigh when he figured out what he wanted to do.

"Look... You can go hang out with the others. Go have some fun."

"Eh? And leave you here? What are you going to do without me?" Desmond asked with a frown. He knew that Alex wasn't much of a party person, but it would seem pretty selfish to go have fun while his friend brooded on a lonely rooftop.

"I'll figure out something. Seriously, just go have some fun. I might take a nap for a little bit until the sound turns down." Alex said with a wave of his hand. Desmond was still hesitant, but he decided to humor him after Alex sent him another wave. After leaping away and vanishing into the streets, Alex let out a long sigh. "Now... What should I do to amuse myself?"

"I must admit, you're fairly easy to track down." A familiar voice with a hint of amusement said from behind him. He turned his head and found Atalanta staring at him with an amused smile on her face. Her clothes were still smeared with dried blood, but she paid no such heed to them.

"You know you're covered in blood, right?"

"I didn't want to go to the nearest stream to wash them." Atalanta said with a casual wave.

"The ocean isn't even that far from here." Alex pointed out.

"I don't want to go there. You start to get sick of the sea once you've been on it after a while." Atalanta said as she sat down next to him. "So why aren't you joining? You'll be bored all day if you continue sitting here."

"I'm not a party person." Alex said simply.

"I know you aren't, which made it easy to find you." Atalanta said with a sigh. "Just go down there and have a good time. You don't have to do anything."

"I know." Alex said with a sigh. "I just don't like this kind of stuff, ya know? It's all so formal and cramped that it just gives me a headache thinking about it."

"So you're against partying?" Atalanta with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I'm just not feeling it right now." Alex replied. They remained silent for several seconds before Alex spoke up again. "So why are you here? I thought you would be down there instead of up here."

Atalanta tensed a little bit. "Well... I was worried about you." The huntress admitted as she looked down in embarrassment. "You always seem to get in dangerous situations without trying."

Alex shrugged, but a smile made its way onto his face. "Hm. That is very true." Alex admitted. "Still... That's not the only reason you're here, right?"

The huntress tensed even further. "W-whatever could you possibly mean?"

"You're tense, as if you're figuring out some way on how to break something out to me." Alex said, having seen a lot of looks like that from other people. Judging from how Atalanta's head dipped downwards, he was right on the money. "Well? Spill it out. It'll be harder if you wait until later." Atalanta looked down and moved her lips, but it was so quiet that he couldn't hear her. "Hm? What was that?"

"I... Was going to ask you if you wanted to join me and Meleager on a hunting expedition." Atalanta muttered silently. Alex blinked for a moment with a tilt of his head. Hunting expedition? Sounds familiar...

"Er... what kind of hunting expedition?" Alex asked.

"You see... Meleager's the prince of Calydon. Turns out, they forgot to give an offering to Artemis and ended up having a giant killer boar released onto them as punishment. He wants me to come with him and help him kill it." Atalanta explained.

Ah... yes. The Calydonian boar. A fearsome creature that was Atalanta's ticket to fame besides the argo. The Calydonian boar was a sacred animal of Artemis, making it an extremely powerful beast. Gods only sic out their famous beasts when divine punishment was at it's peak. Unfortunately, 'peak' isn't really hard to reach. The boars skin was hard, protecting it from all harm. Only Atalanta's arrows were able to pierce it, drawing the first blood during the hunt and being rewarded with the beasts pelts.

A hunting expedition with a massive killer boar that he could potentially salvage and turn into a summoning animal? Count him in!

Alex nodded his head. "Alright, I'll go with you. I'm sure my king won't mind if I stay with you for a little while longer." Atalanta's body relaxed, glad that she managed to get it over with.

"Thank you..." Atalanta said with a grateful bow. Alex nodded, before he suddenly gained a smile as an idea seemed to formulate in his head. He reached out and grabbed Atalanta's hand, surprising her a little at the contact but she didn't pull away.

"You're bugging me to go and join the festival, right? Well... I'd like to at least join it with a friend. What do you say?" Alex offered with his trademark smile. Atalanta blinked for a moment before smiling and nodding her head in agreement.

"Fine. See if you can keep up!" Atalanta said, before she jumped off the building and began sprinting into the crowd.

Alex grinned, and followed after her. Maybe parties weren't so bad once in a while.

* * *

 **Finished! Finally pushed this one out. I had a four day weekend, and I only managed to push this one out at the end of it. Geez, I really am lazy.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will come out once I get more free time on my hands. School and education comes first before my story, after all.**

 **I don't really have anything new to announce, so I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	18. Humanity

Nothing attracted more attention on earth than three beautiful women. Especially if all of them were modeled to be the perfect women in men's eyes. The numerous male guards and servants glanced at them as they walked by, with some of them even have a little bit of drool falling from the corner of their mouths.

Medusa looked like she didn't know if she should be flattered, or if she should be strangling the men as they casted their looks at her and her sisters. Currently, she was hovering in the inbetween zone but was steadily rising towards the strangling category.

Stheno and Euryale looked like they were more amused than angry at the attention they were getting. In fact, they seemed to be having fun, much to the poor guards expense. Whenever one of them would pass a guard, they would give a seductive wave and wink, causing the lucky (or unfortunate) man to look like he would pass out at any moment from all the blood rushing to his face.

"Aunty Stheno and Euryale seem to be having fun." Chrysaor muttered as he watched the two sisters cause another pair of men to bow before them in a ridiculous manner.

"How are they even doing that?" Kuro asked with a curious expression, causing Chrysaor to turn to him with a confused look.

"You're not affected?" The golden kid asked with a cute tilt of his head. Shaking his head in reply, Chrysaor continued. "Oh... It's all in the looks."

"All in the looks?" Kuro repeated with a frown.

Chrysaor nodded. "You see, Aunty Stheno, Euryale, and my Mom, were all meant to be the embodiment of perfect women. My mom was the only one who was born imperfect, while her sisters remained forever young."

Kuro gave medusa a raised eyebrow. "You're not immortal?"

Medusa shrugged. "Once upon a time." It was cryptic, but he knew that she was talking about the days when she wasn't labeled as a monster and lived amongst the people as a regular goddess.

"So what does this have to do with the men?" Kuro asked as he glanced at the drooling men out of the corner of his eye.

"While I was sought out as a monster, my sisters were sought out as wives." Medusa said with clear distaste. "That was the other reason why you heroes often washed up on my shores. My sisters beauty was so well known throughout the world that men would brave my shores just to get a glimpse of them. Their beauty is so strong, that they're able to completely put any man under their spell. I've seen men humiliate themselves before committing suicide just to satisfy my sisters."

"Some people also pray to them for good fortune in finding a woman." Chrysaor added.

Kuro frowned. "Don't you guys have Aphrodite for this kind of thing?"

"You misunderstand." Medusa corrected. "We weren't meant to be just as beautiful as Aphrodite or goddesses of love. We were born from the wishes of men as the perfect women in the form of goddesses. To put it simply, we were meant to be 'used' by you humans as you see fit until you got tired and forgot about us."

"Used?" Kuro frowned for a moment before it clicked in his head. "O-oh... I see."

Medusa gave him a strange look. "It certainly is strange. You don't seem to be affected by their looks as much as these other men. Are you perhaps not interested in women?" Medusa questioned, causing Kuro's eyes to widen.

"W-where did this come from?" Kuro asked with a wide mouth. "I personally believe that those kind of things should be between a man and a woman." He declared with an offended look before it softened a bit. "Although... there's nothing wrong with being... different."

"Hmph. You are certainly an odd human." Medusa declared with a nod of her head before an extremely small smile, that was barely perceptible, formed at the corner of her lips. "But it's a nice kind of odd."

"Er... thanks." Kuro replied, not knowing what to make of such a comment. They continued walking, and watched as Stheno and Euryale completely bewitched the guards that walked past for their amusement. He thought about asking the two girls to quit what they were doing, but he decided to leave them be. He didn't want to deal with these two girls targeting him for their form of amusement.

He didn't understand how those two were the forms of perfect women for the men. In todays world, Medusa would seem much more suited to be what every men wanted their wife to look like. Seriously, she was ranked the 4th most voted female character on the character popularity poll in 2004 and earned the same spot in the same poll in 2006. Maybe men of today didn't like overly developed women? He didn't know. Greece was a really strange place so nothing shouldn't really odd him out.

Perhaps the men of today were lolies? That was a seriously weird thing to think about. Although, it would make Stheno and Euryale's small body frame much sense. Despite being older than what they really looked like, they barely reached Medusa's chest, making them a loli of the highest perfection. Such perfections were apparently a blessing and a curse when it came to ancient Greece, apparently.

But it seems that the two oldest gorgon sisters weren't the only ones gathering such attention. Some of the guards even began focusing on Medusa, who looked like she was trying hard not to respond to them. Still, he could tell that she was getting uncomfortable about the looks. From the little things he knew about her, he knew that she had a little complex about her height. She probably thought that they were thinking about how big she was compared to her sisters. It's not like it was a bad thing, but apparently she thought that short was what makes a woman more loved by a man.

He didn't understand why women cared so much about their beauty. Medusa carried looks that women would kill to have, but some people look at their gifts as if it was a curse. He should probably step in before she took off her blindfold and turned every single person here into a garden gnome statue.

"Oi." Kuro called out with a snap of his fingers, making the men look at him in response. "If any of your dicks jump out of your pants, you get to jump out of this castle. Got it?" The guards blinked twice before nodding, too afraid to even go against such an order, before breaking away from them to return back to their posts. From what he found, most of the guards were mostly perverts, but their hearts were in the right place. They just needed to keep their tools in check if they wanted any chance to not attract Medusa's wrath.

As soon as the guards left them alone, Kuro gave medusa an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. Most of the guards here are a little bit perverted, but they do lean towards doing the right thing."

"I-it's fine. I just need some time to get used to it, that's all." Medusa said with a composed tone.

"Geez, mom..." Chrysaor muttered with a pout as he took her hand. "You're way too modest. Lighten up a little bit. Besides, if things go well, we'll finally be able to start a new life!"

"I wish things like that could always be that easy." Medusa muttered with a sad smile. "Life can be very cruel, Chrysaor. I know this better than anyone else. You might be a little bit too young to see that, but it's the honest truth. Good things usually never come to people who do good, and good things never come to people who do evil. It's quite conundrum, no?

"That is true." Kuro said in agreement. "But there is a sense of rewarding when you choose to help someone. Yes, good people don't get what they really deserve, but they don't complain about it. It doesn't matter if people don't thank us, reward us, or even help us, because that sense of knowing you helped someone is rewarding in itself."

"Like what you're doing now..." Medusa muttered.

"Exactly. I did it because it was the right thing to do. I don't expect you to thank me or give me a reward of some kind, nor do I want you to." Kuro said with a wave of his hand. "It's just what a hero does. Of course, I'm not like the other heroes you might be thinking about, nor am I a perfect human being." He sighed for a moment, before continuing on. "Humans, by all nature, aren't perfect. We'll all make mistakes from time to time. Some are just more level-headed than others."

"Is that so?" Medusa said with a questioning tilt of her head. How intriguing it was to learn about these humans who would show up at her island. She glanced down at herself and frowned a little bit. Was she a human being? She had been called a monster for so long, that she didn't even know what SHE was really classified as. Was she a goddess? A monster? A human? She didn't even truly know what she was supposed to be.

Her sisters had always referred to the three of them as things other than human, but was what they said really true? Not knowing what she truly is was starting to scare her a little bit. No matter what, she wanted to know what she truly was. Even if others saw her as something else, it would be comforting to know what she truly was inside.

Do her sisters know what she was? She doubted it. Her older sisters never paid attention to things like that. They were more interested in what type of clothing they would wear instead of the usual things. Most of the time, it was up to her to do all the chores around the island. Of course, Chrysaor would always try to help her whenever he could. Even if he wasn't her biological son, he acted like it. She never had any experience with being a mother, but she always tried her best to care for Chrysaor and her sisters even if they can be quite a handful sometimes.

"Mhm." Kuro said in reply. "Don't try to think about it too much. It's not like I'm a wise man or anything of the sort."

"You seem to be quite the humble person." Medusa pointed out.

"Mmm. I guess you could say that." Kuro said. In truth, he never really liked to show off much. When he was younger, he was the quiet kid in class. Always keeping to himself and not responding to anyone else unless it was the teacher. It was part of the reason why he never had many friends in his life. He didn't care, though. He didn't need many friends in his life, just the ones he knew wouldn't leave him.

"Do you think I could be like you?" Chrysaor asked with stars in his eyes. Kuro glanced down at him out of the corner of his eye and gave a light smile.

"It's nice to know that you look up to me." Kuro said with a grin. "Still, you should be more focused on being yourself, instead of trying to copy me."

Chrysaor pouted. "But I've always wanted to become a hero and make a name for myself! I want to stand head and shoulders above those other 'heroes' and show them what I'm capable of!"

Medusa tensed at that. Heroes... That word didnt exactly fit well with her. She knew that chrysaor wasn't like the others, but still...

"A hero, eh?" Kuro repeated out loud with an amused smile. "That's an admirable dream." He paused for a moment before nodding. "If you really want to, how about some lessons? I'm already training another kid and I'm sure he would enjoy having someone his age to play with."

"R-really?" Chrysaor asked in shock at the invitation of someone who was willing to help him fulfill his dream. He turned to Medusa with a pleading look in his eyes. "Can I do it? Please, mother? I want to train with Kuro!"

Medusa stared at him for a moment as she pondered what he said. While she wasn't sure what to think about her son's goals on becoming one of those heroes, she did wish to see him happy. Kuro had definitely been kind so far, and definitely seemed to care for Chrysaor to some extent. He was also the first human in a long time to ever treat her so kindly.

This man was a very honest man. So far, she hadn't detected a single ounce of a lie ever since they had interacted. In a life filled with lies and injustice, she was able to detect those kinds of things easily.

Once, just once, she would put her trust in this man.

"...Fine." Medusa said with a sigh before she turned to Kuro. "I don't have any reason to doubt your judgement. If you try anything, however..." She let that warning hang in the air. It didn't need translation anyway.

"Geez, protective I see." Kuro thought with a mental sigh. "Alright, I understand. You have my word that I'll look after him." He turned around and muttered under his breath. "It's not like I'm going to be the only one looking after him, anyway."

They continued walking in silence, with nothing but the sounds of their footsteps resonating in the halls of the castle. Suddenly, fast paced footsteps rang out from behind them. Kurt frowned a little bit at that. It sounded like there were two people running towards him. Judging by the lighter footsteps and lack of metal clanking, they weren't any of the guards. He turned around to see who it was, before he suddenly grunted in surprise as two familiar forms tackled him.

"Kuro!"

"You're back!"

The gorgon sisters and Chrysaor stood silent in surprise as they watched two young boys who looked about the same age as Chrysaor, cling onto Kuro with a hug that resembled a vice grip.

"Hey, Luke, Absyrtus." Kuro said with a smile as he ruffled both of the boys heads affectionately. "You miss me?"

Absyrtus pulled away with a pout. "You were gone longer than you said you were going to be!" The child accused as he tried to escape from the hand that was messing up his hair. Kuro simply laughed, before pulling his hand away.

"Sorry about that." Kuro apologized, although he didn't sound very sorry. "I was very busy."

"You need to find another excuse." Absyrtus commented with a deadpan.

"It's not an excuse. It's the truth." Kuro said simply with an amused shake of his head. He placed his hands on Luke and Chrysaor's shoulders, and spun them around to face the others. "Now then... why don't you say hello to our guests?"

"Hello! My name is Absyrtus!" Absyrtus greeted with a cheerful smile, making Stheno and Euryale look like they wanted to go over and crush him in a hug with all of the cuteness he was emitting.

Luke had zeroed in on Medusa and faltered for a moment, before his regular smile worked its way back onto his face. "My name is Luke! Pleased to meet you!" Luke introduced with a bow, earning a squeal from Stheno and Euryale.

"Well aren't you two just the cutest little things!" Stheno gushed as she fawned over them.

"Your both just as cute as Chrysaor!" Euryale exclaimed as she gave both boys a pat on the head.

Medusa felt herself agreeing with that statement. The two kids, Absyrtus and Luke, were well mannered for their age. They didn't act like brats, and they didn't seem to be very nervous around them.

She focused her attention on Luke, and couldn't help but feel that there was something odd with the kid. He may have been the same size and age as Chrysaor, but he was definitely hiding something underneath that childish exterior. In a way, he kind of reminded her of kuro if he were just a little bit younger.

She should be wary around him, but he was just so cute that she was barely able to keep herself from gushing over him like her sisters. It should be a crime for a young boy like him to be so adorable.

"So what are your names?" Luke suddenly asked with a cute tilt of his head. Stheno and Euryale both faltered for a moment, and Medusa tensed up. Chrysaor was currently hiding behind her in a shy manner. Quickly seeing that none of them were willing to introduce themselves, Kuro bent down and whispered something into both of the boys ears, causing Absyrtus' eyes to widen. Medusa tensed up, already expecting for something negative to happen.

"R-really?" Absyrtus stuttered with some kind of... look. Medusa braced herself for the familiar feeling of hate and criticism that was sure to come her way. However, she never felt it hit her. Instead, the boy seemed to have stars in his eyes. "Are you really Medusa? The one with the petrifying gaze?" He asked with a curiosity laced with curiosity and... excitement?

Stheno and Euryale paused for a moment as they looked at her, wondering what she was going to do. Medusa contemplated responding to the kids question for a moment before catching Kuro's eye. He gave her an encouraging smile and nodded his head. She steeled her nerves, and answered as politely as she could.

"Yes, that would be me." Medusa said with her regular monotone. "Are you surprised?"

"A little bit!" Absyrtus admitted, without loosing his smile. In fact, he seemed to be even more excited. "I always pictured you with snakes for hair!" He exclaimed while gesturing with his hands like the child he is. Medusa blanched for a second in surprise at the reaction, before a small smile formed on her face.

"Hm... You have quite the imagination, child." Medusa said with amusement. "Why would you think that?"

"I can't remember." Absyrtus said with a frown. He suddenly grinned again when a thought occurred to him. "So do you have those cool eyes? You know, the ones that are said to be able to turn people to stone?"

"Yes, but I do not wish to show you them." Medusa said with an apologetic look. "I have no way to control them, and it would be disastrous if you were to accidentally see them."

Absyrtus deflated with an 'awwww', causing Stheno and Euryale to immediately take to comforting the poor boy with pats on the head. Medusa just remained impassive as she watched the cute scene in front of her. She turned her attention to luke and saw that he was staring at her with a tilt of his head.

"Is there something wrong?" Medusa asked.

"...Why is your hair so long?" Luke asked, as he lightly touched Medusa's long purple hair. Even Kuro found himself listening in on the conversation. Such long hair was rare amongst women, and it must be a total pain to treat it. How do they even do that? It's not like they had hair products back in ancient Greece, right?

"I was born this way." Medusa said simply, although she seemed a little bit uncomfortable with the contact. "It's not really that noteworthy or anything."

"But it's so pretty." Luke bubbled with a mesmerized look. Medusa blushed at the compliment while Stheno and Euryale released another wave of 'awwwww' once again.

"See, little sister? They think your hair is pretty." Stheno teased, affectionately. Medusa looked down in embarrassment, and Kuro decided to step in to save her from the endless amount of teasings that was sure to come her way.

"Alright, you two." Kuro called out, pulling Luke and Absyrtus attention. "Why don't you two and Chrysaor get to know each other better? After all, it's not like you two get to meet most boys your age." Luke and Absyrtus seemed to like that idea, and quickly grabbed Chrysler's hand, who still looked a little bit shy.

"W-wait a moment!" Chrysaor began.

"Now, now. Don't be like that! You won't have any fun if you fight it." Luke chided with a grin as he pulled Chrysaor away with Absyrtus trailing behind them. As soon as they left, Medusa let out a sigh.

"Who were those two?"

"Absyrtus is the king's son. Luke is actually one of my friends younger brother. Him and I are bodyguards for the kings children." Kuro explained, causing Stheno and Euryale's eyes to widen.

"He's a bodyguard?!" Euryale questioned with a surprised look

"Isn't he too young for that?!" Stheno asked with a frown, as she wondered why such a young boy would be given such an important and dangerous position.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Kuro said with a smile before he continued walking. "Come on. The king will be waiting for us." The gorgon sisters gave each other a hesitant look, before following after him.

They continued walking down the corridor before they stopped at a familiar set of doors. Kuro paused for a moment before he turned to them with a stern look before speaking with an equally stern tone. "No causing trouble, understand?"

"You're no fun..." Euryale said with an adorable pout that would turn the coldest of men into a heartwarming puddle. Sadly, Kuro did nothing more than sigh in exasperation.

"That won't work on me."

"It was worth a shot." Euryale muttered in disappointment. Stheno gave her a pat on the shoulder, muttering something about having fun with the humans later. Being the privy person he was, he didn't bother to ask what their fun consisted of. He turned to Medusa and sent her a comforting smile when he saw that she looked a little bit nervous, even if the blindfold covered most of her expression.

"Oi, take a deep breath and calm yourself down. We don't want you embarrassing yourself, do we?" Kuro joked with a reassuring smile. Medusa's face reddened up for a moment before she could feel Stheno and Euryale's looks glaring at her from behind.

"Now is not the time to break down, younger sister! I know that a big gorilla like you isn't very graceful or elegant, but at least try to act like it!" Stheno commanded with a big sister tone.

"Back straight and eyes forward! If there was ever a time for you to do something right, it would be now!" Euryale said with a sigh. "Honestly, if only you weren't so tall. Alas, curing you of your huge body is something we can't do."

"E-elder sisters..." Medusa whimpered in embarrassment. Kuro gave a small amused chuckle at how the three sisters were interacting. Despite being way taller than her sisters, Medusa was clearly intimidated by the harsh burns and words that her sisters spit out at her. Still, he could tell that those words were subtle signs that Stheno and Euryale cared for her, even if they were a little bit unnecessary.

"Alright, enough chit-chat." Kuro said with a smile as he placed his hand on the door. "Just let me do the talking and we should be fine." Without another word, he pushed open the door and headed in without a break in his steps. Stheno and Euryale followed after him with their elegant demeanor, making Medusa fall behind them silently.

As they entered the room, Medusa immediately took in her surroundings. The room was apparently the throne room, and there appeared to only be one person inhabiting it. She found herself looking at the throne, and found a middle aged man with a beard, sitting there with some kind of tome in his hand. Judging by the crown on his head, and the feeling of authority that he was omitting, it wasn't hard to guess who he was.

"Hey, old man." Kuro greeted, as if seeing the old man after such a long time. "Don't tell me you've gotten bored without me."

"Kuro!" The old man boomed with a grin as he put his book down. "It is good to see you in one piece! I was worried that something may have happened to you!"

"I can't believe you would have such little faith in me." Kuro said with a fake sigh.

"And it seems you have been busy!" Aeetes said with a grin as he focused in on the gorgon sisters. "Only gone for one day and you've already found yourself some women to acquaint yourself with!"

All of the women blushed heavily at that, while Kuro simply frowned in confusion. "It's not what you think, old man."

"Oh? Such a shame." Abets said with a sigh. "And to think I thought you were graduating into a man. It seems I was mistaken."

Kuro deadpanned at that statement. "Only you would say something like that."

Aeetes nodded without a hint of shame, before turning to the women. "If it is not too troubling, may I ask you three for your names?" It wasn't a demand or an order, but a simple request. One that could be denied or fulfilled and he wouldn't care either way. Well, that would change once he knew who they were.

"They're the gorgons." Kuro said simply.

"Ah, nice... to..." Aeetes faltered once his brain processed what Kuro said. He sighed, and turned to Kuro. "Alright, explain."

Kuro shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"Why would you bring her here?" Abets said with a tired sigh. The newfound information seemed to have stressed him out.

"I felt generous." Kuro said with a shrug before a serious expression formed on his face. "Besides, Poseidon asked me to. You know as much as I do that we can't just ignore something like that."

Aeetes hummed for a moment. "That is very true. However, think of what the people would say to something like this! I can't afford something like this to happen amongst my people!"

"That is total bull, old man." Kuro said, making the man flinch. "Your kingdom is one of the most powerful and wealthiest in the entire land. You could afford something like this to happen."

"That may be true, but the sudden absence of our fleece has caused a little bit of a disturbance in the kingdom. People are going around, thinking that enemies from other kingdoms had stolen our Fleece! News like this would only turn the entire kingdom into mindless chickens!" Aeetes argued.

"We don't know if we try." Kuro said with a sigh. "Which do you want to deal with? Angry civilians? Or an angry sea god?" Aeetes went silent at that proclamation. "The scales of justice have spoken."

Aeetes sighed, and rubbed his forehead with his hands before he turned to the gorgon sisters. "Which one of you is Medusa?" He asked. The three of them looked at each other hesitantly, before Medusa raised her hand.

"I am, sir." Medusa admitted with a nervous look. Aeetes gave her a once over, before gesturing her to follow him. with a look that she couldn't quite figure out. He headed out the doors, and Medusa hesitantly followed behind him. What was he going to do? Separate her from her sisters and get the guards to kill her?

He shut the door and stood silently as he stared at her with an observing eye. Medusa's hands were behind her back, and were fidgeting slightly with nervousness.

Suddenly, without warning, the man began to speak.

"I do not care for what you are, or for what people have branded you as." Aeetes began with a slow tone, surprising Medusa. "However, my people may not share the same view."

"...I've learned to deal with it." Medusa muttered sadly. Aeetes nodded, and continued on.

"I am a man of fairness, and if the circumstances would have allowed it, I would have gladly accepted you into my kingdom." Aeetes said with a disappointed tone. "However, my kingdom is getting restless. I do not wish to start something that could spiral out of control."

She understood what he was talking about. His people came first before any other desire that he had. Such is the way of the king who ruled over a powerful kingdom.

"As such, I'm not sure you would be able to acclimate to life here."

Medusa nearly laughed at that. He was right. She barely had any kind human interaction. She didn't know if she had the social ability to actually live amongst the humans without standing out. For a moment, she began despairing that her freedom would have been ripped away from her once again.

"But..." Aeetes began after a moment, causing her to look up. "I'm sure Kuro could help you settle in. The boy always has been good with people. Did you know that he managed to befriend all of the staff and guards here in under 3 days?" She was silent for a moment as that implication set in.

"D-do you mean?" Medusa whispered in shock, causing Aeetes to give an amused smile at her reaction.

"Yes, my dear. I will allow you into my kingdom. I do not wish to go against Poseidon, but I Kuro isn't someone who would associate with someone like you if you really were a monster." He looked away and sighed. "But don't think that living here will be easy. You will still receive hate from some of my citizens, even with euro by your side. They will do anything to rile you up and give me and excuse to throw you out."

"I-i see..." Medusa muttered. Aeetes smiled, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Be thankful that you befriended such a nice young man. If it were anyone else, I would have thrown you out without a second though. Still, Kuro has his heart in the right place, and he has no reason for me to doubt him." He lowered his voice and whispered. "Although, I do ask for you to look after him. He's terrible with women, but I bet you can remedy that."

Medusa blushed, and Aeetes let out a chuckle. "T-thank you, Lord..."

"Aeetes." Aeetes said with a wave. "No need to be so formal, Medusa. Kuro calls me 'old man', anyway." He opened the door, and headed back inside to the throne room, where Kuro, Stheno, and Euryale were sitting in wait. Seeing them enter back into the room, Euryale and Stheno stood up with worry in their eyes, surprising Medusa a little bit, since her older sisters never showed those kind of signs for her.

"She can stay." Aeetes announced, making Stheno and Euryale's eyes to widen. "But I have a number of rules." He fixed his eyes on Kuro, who got the message with a sigh.

"name it."

"One: You have to be by her side at all times." Kuro nodded, pretty reasonable so far.

"Two: If anything goes wrong, I'm putting it all on you." Kuro sighed at that.

"three: You will give me any number of those 'nike' shirts that you have been showing my son." Kuro blinked at that, before snorting.

"Number?"

"100."

"As you wish." Kuro said in a business like manner, before frowning. "What are you going to do with them?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to sell them! My kingdom must be first when it comes to fashion!" Aeetes said with a dramatic pose, causing everyone in the room to sweat drop.

"Fine." Kuro sighed. Aeetes nodded, satisfied, before leaving the room to attend to more political matters. As silence reigned over the four of them as they contemplated what just happened, Kuro stood up with a smile.

"See? Didn't I tell you three that it would be easy?"

Medusa didn't know if she should strangle him or hug him.


	19. Small talk

Alex cracked his eyes open slowly as he awoke from his slumber with a groan as the rays of light came through the window and bathed his eyes with golden rays of light. The birds were chirping outside and everything was peaceful and quiet as the sounds of nature were taking their course.

He sat up in the bed and looked outside. The streets had been vacated and only very few people were milling around in the streets to do their daily activities. The rest had decided to stay indoors after the wild night of partying. He and Desmond had decided to retire to a nearby inn and had gotten in payment free since the inn keeper was in a pretty good mood. With Pelias dead, the kingdom might have a chance to get new visitors and opportunities. Business is expected to skyrocket once Jason gets the kingdom back together again.

He groaned as he felt a headache form in his head. Last night, he had decided to go and down a few cups on Desmond's insistence. He didn't think that it would have been a problem and downed three shots in quick succession, nearly passing out in surprise as the alcohol invaded his systems. He had vastly underestimated the power of alcohol and now knew why his mother never let him near the beverage in the first place.

Luckily, Atalanta was kind enough to help him to the inn and dump him on the bed before she left him in Desmond's care. Most of the Argonauts weren't staying for the entire festival and she thought it would be polite of her to go say goodbye to them even if some got on her nerves a little bit. As soon as she had left, he had already drifted off into sleep.

Aside from the head ache that was currently plaguing his head, he strangely felt like he was better than ever. His muscles weren't sore and the minor wounds that he had received during the battle had healed nicely. He didn't wish to burden anyone about it so he didn't tell anyone about it.

He swung his legs off the bed and stood up with a yawn as he got his body moving again. He looked himself over in a nearby mirror and frowned when he looked at his hair. It was messed up as usual, but there were strands of white hair that were starting to show. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed when he realized how much of a toll his body had taken during the trip.

He frowned for a moment. Was it really a real trip? Was any of this real? Was this a world created by the machine that sent him here? Or was it another world beyond space and time? He couldn't find the answers to his question and frowned in annoyance when realization dawned upon him. If that was true then...

His powers were fake.

His experiences were fake.

He was a faker in every sense of the word.

He looked down at his hand and pinched it, as if he was trying to see if this was all simply an illusion. Nothing happened after several seconds and he continued his thinking in silence.

Perhaps this world was real, but he didn't understand it. How anyone could even come up with a machine like that was probably a genius or an unhealthy obsessor that trumped the likes of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. It truly was amazing at how far technology had advanced since the early 2000's.

Jin had said that the machine basically used a bunch of scientific equations to perform something akin to teleportation. It melted them down to a molecular level, and sent them into a different dimension by accelerating their particles to the speed of light. In a sense, it was actually what the second true magic was: The operation of parallel worlds. As soon as they had reached their destination, their particles had formed back together before dumping them into this world.

In such the world around them was definitely real but it was fundamentally different from his own. He guess he should be at least a little bit grateful that he wasn't a total faker, even if he practically cheated.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when a light knock sounded from his door and a voice called out to him from the other side. "Hello? Alex? Are you awake?" Her tone was loud enough for him to hear her, but quiet enough as not to disturb the neighbors. He smiled in amusement before he headed over to answer her call. He gripped the knob and twisted the door open to reveal the huntress in her usual clothes.

She looked like she had been up for some time and didn't even exhibit any sign of fatigue from yesterday. Judging by her slightly wet hair, she probably went to go and bathe in the nearest bath house.

"Good morning." Alex greeted with a tired smile. "I can't believe you're up this early. Everyone else is mostly asleep."

"It's not often that someone gets peace and quiet. I couldn't very well waste such an opportunity." Atalanta said before she frowned. "I didn't disturb you from your rest, did I?"

"No. I was awake before you even got here." Alex said with a wave of his hand. "Did you see Desmond when you got here?"

"I found him milling around in the streets earlier." Atalanta said with an amused expression. "He said he was going to go to the bath house to get his quote, 'party smell', off of him." Alex couldn't help but chuckle at that. Desmond always had a weird way of describing things.

"that does sound like him." Alex said with amusement before he gave her a quizzical look. "So why are you here? Are we leaving for Calydon?" He asked with a worried expression at the thought of being late.

Atalanta chuckled a bit at his reaction. "No. Meleager is still asleep. I'm sure he'll want to at least eat something before we head out. Calydon isn't exactly that far from Thessaly, but it's surrounded by marshes for miles around. Should take us several days to get there with periodical rests in between."

Alex nodded. "That makes sense." He sat down on the bed and cupped his head in his chin in thought. "So what's the deal with this boar business? I mean, it's not like this is not a simple wild animal on the loose, right?"

Atalanta nodded. "The boar isn't a random feral hog on the loose. It's a punishment from Artemis. Meleager told me that his father hadn't given Artemis the appropriate offerings for her and it has led him to this." Alex noted that she did seem a little bit amused by the fact a man screwed up before it vanished under her serious demeanor. "It's been terrorizing the country side and halting trade coming in and out of the cities boarders. The king has put out a request for hunters to come and exterminate it but none have succeeded so far."

"Well, it is a sacred animal of a goddess after all." Alex said with a pause as a thought occured to him. "So if it's Artemis' sacred animal, won't she be mad if we kill it?"

"Perhaps..." Atalanta said with a frown at that thought before she grinned. "Artemis isn't one to hold many grudges. She's just more explosive when someone disrespects her. I'd doubt she'd be really mad if someone was able to take down such a mighty beast."

Alex nearly snorted at that. Gods tended to be on the unpredictable side of things. If Artemis wanted to kill you, she'd do it in a heartbeat. It's not like anybody was going to stop her, right? But Atalanta was said to be Artemis' favored champion. She might have a chance at persuading the goddess to not shoot arrows and strike them down once they killed the mighty beast.

Being the goddess of the hunt, she would probably praise the person who was even able to trap and kill it. Who knows? He might be the lucky one here.

"So does Meleager have a plan for this? He can't expect us to simply charge in and fight the beast head on, right?"

"I hope so." Atalanta said as she took a seat in a nearby chair. "Before we can come up with a plan to kill it, we have to track it down first. As the most experienced hunter out of the four of us, I will take care of all that."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Alex asked with a tilt of his head.

"The signs will be obvious. An animal as large and powerful as that won't stay in one place for too long once it exhausts all of the food in the area. I'd start at where the last recent sighting of the boar was before going from there." Atalanta explained with a smug smile. Not once had a wild animal managed to evade her sights and none shall to this day! She had asked for the geography of the land from Meleager and came up with this carefully laid plan yesterday! Truly, she was a genious.

"I'm surprised that you managed to come up with that plan in such a short amount of time." Alex said with an impressed tone. Atalanta nodded with a look of pride written on her face.

"The wilderness isn't like the city. It's kill or be killed out there. I've been living in the woods all my life that I have completely managed to adapt to it."

"How did you even survive out there? From what you have told me, you didn't seem to be old enough to care for yourself when you were abandoned." Alex questioned. A while ago he might have been awkward with asking that, but he learned that the huntress didn't mind talking about her past. She was a pretty modest person, after all.

"Artemis saved me." Atalanta said with admiration in her voice. "She told me that she saw me crying from the heavens and sent a mother bear in my direction."

"Uh... isn't that bad?"

"Hardly." Atalanta said with an amused tone. "The mother bear had recently lost her children and was still mourning over them. When she saw me crying on the rocks near her home she decided to take me in." She paused for a moment as she recalled those peaceful memories before continuing on. "After that, I simply grew up thinking I was a wild animal. I simply copied what mama bear was doing and it soon became second nature to me."

"But what about your skill with your bow?" Alex asked as he glanced at the massive bow that was slung across her back. She smiled as she unslung it and began picking at the bowstring.

"I've been living with mama bear for most of my life." Atalanta said with a sigh. "I had stayed back at the cave while mama bear went hunting when a group of hunters happened to come across the cave. Most likely looking for bears or boars to skin for their hide. They found me inside and took pity on me so they opted to take me home with them." She chuckled. "Of course, I thought they were going to hurt me. I ended up wrestling with the hunters for ten minutes before they managed to haul me back to their camp."

"That's not surprising." Alex said with an amused chuckle. The thought of a younger version of Atalanta trying to wrestle men three times her age conjured a funny image in her head. It seemed like something she would have done.

Atalanta scowled, but there was a flash of amusement in her eyes. "Would you like to try and challenge me at wrestling?"

"No. You'd beat me up." Alex said with a light smile.

"Good choice of words." Atalanta said with a playful laugh before she leaned back in her chair. "Where was I? Oh right. For a while, I wasn't very friendly with my captors. It took a while for me to even open up to them. When I did, they started teaching me how to act like a normal human being instead of like a wild animal. Slowly, I managed to fit in with the rest of the hunters and soon found that I had a particular talent for the bow. Although, it took me quite a while to get it down."

"You don't seem to have lost your edge." Alex pointed out.

"In a way, yes. I still act like an animal at my core. That part will be with me until the rest of my life and its too deeply ingrained in my system for me to get rid of it." Atalanta said with a shrug. "It's not like it's a problem, is it?"

Alex shook his head. "No. It's no real problem at all. In fact, I'd say it's quite a unique personality. I don't think I've ever met a woman who was quite as feral as you." He said all of this with a casual smile. She was quite an interesting person to hang around with. She had the body of a human and the looks and cunning of a lioness. A form of nature and humanity rolled into one. Quite beautiful but he would never mention it out loud. He didn't want her to start sticking arrows into his behind.

Atalanta, on the other hand, just blushed a little bit at such a description. True, she tended to act like an animal sometimes, but it wasn't anything anyone should find special or anything. Her green and gold hair wasn't anything out of the ordinary and she simply thought it was simply a byproduct of being raised in the woods as a predator to help her blend into her surroundings.

If this was any other man. she would have probably slammed him into the ground in fury under the assumption that they were flirting with her. Alex, however, didn't seem to seek out such feelings and instead seemed to just speak honestly. Of course, such thinking can get him into trouble in the future, but it at least told her that he didn't want to get her into bed with him.

"Your quite the charmer aren't you?" Atalanta muttered quietly, but loud enough for Alex to hear.

"Huh?" Alex asked obliviously.

"Nothing." Atalanta said with a wave of her hand and a small smile on her face. "Nothing at all."

Alex gave her a confused look before simply shrugging. "Whatever you say." He wasn't going to press her. When a women said nothing you don't press on further. Doing so would be like walking straight through a mine field.

* * *

"Remind me how you even managed to convince me into doing this?" Jin asked with an embarrassed tone as he stood shirtless in front of Medea.

"Oh don't be such a baby. This is all in the advancement and study of magic! Surely studying your special magical energy won't hurt you in any way, right?" Medea said with a smile as she held a small brush in her hand that was coated with some sort of paint.

"But why am I shirtless?" Jin asked as his hands fidgeted nervously in his pocket. Sure, he had no problems with letting Medea study his chakra, but making go shirtless to do so was a little bit embarrassing. Especially if it was around a lady he was well acquainted with.

"It's just so I don't have to worry about your clothing getting in the way." Medea said, although she seemed to be embarrassed a little bit as well. "From what you've told me, your magical energy is quite different from mine. I wish to see in what aspect is it different. To do so, we need some... contact." She finished as she hefted her brush. "Don't squirt around too much, okay?"

"How long is this going to take?" Jin asked as he eyed the brush suspiciously.

"Not long unless you keep complaining." Medea said with a sigh as she began brushing the first few symbols on his chest. To see into Jin's body and study his magic circuits, she was required to use the use of runes to perform something similar to an X-ray to get a detailed description of his magical potential, magic circuits, Etc. She was able to see how many magic circuits a person had by magic sight alone, but it didn't allow her to see everything. This way allowed her to make much more detailed studies and was originally used to help in medical practices for mages.

There was also another way to do that, but it involved dissecting jin to do so. Something she wasn't comfortable with doing on a human being even if she has practiced it a multitude of times with several unfortunate animals. Besides, she couldn't bear to even think about cutting her closest friend for the simple goal of expanding her knowledge. No amount of magecraft would ever be able to convince her to do anything like that.

She let her eyes wander over his body and detailed everything about it. He wasn't necessarily ripped and bulging with muscle, but he was fairly skinned and well tone. His skin was tan a little bit and there wasn't too much fate around him. He was in perfect shape and it definitely showed in his abs. Although, she couldn't tell if it was due to his magic or his physical abilities.

Luke, on the other hand, didn't have the same kind of toned abs and muscles that Jin or his brother Alex had, but it didn't hinder him in the slightest. He still displayed incredible amount of strength, easily able to toss a guard in full metal gear during a friendly practice match with the man. She guessed that whatever she was going to find here had also played a part in the boys ridiculous amount of strength under their frames.

She stopped in surprise as she began checking for any magical circuits. Normally, magical circuits were usually inactive until they were forcibly activated by their owners. Usually with a mental image or action that triggers their awakening like a knife being stabbed into a heart, for example. She was certain that he would have magical circuits. After all, how was he supposed to perform all those complex forms of magic? However, she didn't detect any magical circuits, but some kind of other form of energy.

It seemed to be a form of magical energy, but it felt fundamentally different. It felt like it was a living being that was living in jin's body in perfect harmony. It was circulating through his entire body like air in a never ending cycle even when it didn't seem to be in use.

"I've never seen anything like this before." Medea muttered as she continued expecting the energy. "It's not like any magic circuit I've ever seen. Even father doesn't have anything like this."

"It's a peculiarity, no?" Jin said with an amused smile at her curious expression. "It's kind of like magical energy. It's just constantly active and a form of life energy."

"So it's not that much different." Medea said with a frown. "I don't understand. Are you constantly keeping it active?"

"It's kind of like the respiratory system." Jin explained. "It's constantly at work, but it's not doing anything harmful for my body. Unlike your magic circuits, they're always on standby. Allowing me to access them in a moments notice." He paused for a moment. "Do you see those eight points that go down my body and end at my heart? They're in the places where the energy are at their greatest." Medea looked across his body and saw the eight points where the strange energy was at its greatest. There was two in the head. one in the heart, and five more going down his chest. They resembled magical circuits, but they seemed to be acting like some kind of organ that is regulating the amount of energy he was releasing.

"Is it... like a gate?"

"In a way, yes." Jin said with a nod. "They regulate the amount of energy as to suppress my powers. Of course, should the situation call for it, I can forcibly open the gates to unleash more power." He pointed to his head where the first two gates were located. "Of course, it's not like it comes without a drawback. Opening more and more gates puts a heavy toll on my body. As such, it is only meant to be used in the most extreme situations."

"I see..." Medea muttered in satisfaction for another piece of information. "And what about your magic? You seem to use some weird hand gestures instead of words to perform spiritual attacks."

"Those hand gestures that you mentioned are meant to be a way of forming that energy into any form we can imagine: Fire, water, earth, and lightning. We do this by releasing the energy through several points in our body called Tenketsu." Jin explained. "This allows us to combine two elements, or more to create different kind of elements." He shrugged. "It'll take a while for me to explain it all. I'll just stop there until we find more free time."

Medea pouted a little at that. While it may be highly unusual for most people, She actually liked being lectured about new things. After all, you can't be a magus without that kind of mindset. You'd never be successful without it.

Still, she could probably even tell that Jin would get tired of talking about it. Even after she had finally finished with her inspection, he had yet to put his shirt back on. She blushed when she caught herself looking and turned away quickly.

"Y-you should hurry up and cover yourself up." Medea muttered quietly, causing Jin to also blush as he quickly grabbed his shirt and slipped it on with his akatsuki cloak following after.

"Whew... This is much better." Jin said with a relieved sigh at the feeling of warmth his cloak gave him. "Next time, try doing this in a warmer area, yeah?"

Medea snorted. "Stop complaining. Would you rather let me do it outside where everyone can see us?" Her voice quieted a little bit. "Besides, you know what people are saying about us, right?"

Jin raised an eyebrow. Was she bothered by it? He honestly found the rumors to be a little bit amusing. "I'm not bothered by it. They're just making it seem bigger than what it really is." He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Don't be too bothered by what they think. You're better than that."

Medea blushed and looked down. "A-alright..."

Jin nodded and removed his hand from her shoulder. "Let's go, alright? Kuro is probably done with showing our guests around."

Medea nodded. She didn't exactly hate the monster that was Medusa, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn't wary of her. She had the very scent and presence of a snake. A reptile that was sneaky and had no trouble using anything to get her way.

Still... Kuro seemed to know what he was doing. Even if he was insufferable at times. If he decided to put his trust in her then she would do so as well. Besides, it's not like father would let them run around amuck.

She turned towards the exit and began walking at a brisk pace. "Come on. You can continue with your lecture later. Right now, I require a bath. After today, I need something to clear my mind." The witch said.

Jin nodded at that. A bath seemed to be a gift from the gods right now.

He needed to get the paint off of him anyway. It'll take at least a couple buckets of water to do so.


	20. Big Brother

Medusa sighed in relaxation as she slid into the steamy water. After being toured around the castle with Kuro, she immediately headed straight for the bath house the second she was told about it. She was relieved to find that nobody was currently using it right now. Currently having it all for herself.

She almost forgot about this type or luxury. Whenever she wanted to take a bath back at her island home with her sisters, they'd have to use the cold ocean water. There was no comparison to which of the two yielded the most satisfaction.

She blew bubbles as she sunk all the way to her neck. Throughly enjoying herself like a young child without a hint of care for the world. For the first time in a long time, she didn't know what the future would bring for her. She was finally free from the daily routinely life on that boring little island in the middle of nowhere.

Still, she didn't really know what she should do. She had been so used to her life of loneliness and violence that she didn't know what she should do now that she has finally entered back into civilization. Perhaps she could go try drinking wine? Maybe a little bit of the local cuisine? So many choices. Perhaps she could ask Kuro for suggestions on where to start?

She sighed, and continued drowning herself in her thoughts as she continued to enjoy the nice feeling of a warm bath. She suddenly became alert when the sounds of footsteps reached her ears. Judging by the delicate footsteps, whoever it was is certainly someone of royal nobility. She knew it very clearly since her sisters constantly omitted the same kind of steps as they walked.

Despite what people may think of her with the blindfold on, she wasn't necessarily blind. In fact, it was the polar opposite. While her 'sight' had been cut off to prevent from turning her sisters and Chrysaor into stone, she was able to perceive the world through magic-detection, hearing, touch, and smell, allowing her to receive information much greater than sight alone.

The footsteps suddenly halted abruptly as whoever it was clearly wasn't expecting anyone else to be here. "Oh? You're the one Kuro brought back from his trip." The person said with a light tone as she joined her in the hot spring. "I wasn't expecting you to be here in a place like this."

Medusa winced, and slowly began to stand up. "I'm sorry... I'll be going now."

"A-ah, you don't have to do that." The voice quickly said. Medusa paused for a moment before she nodded and sat back down into the water. The woman sighed, and joined her in the bath with the same relaxing sigh. "I just wasn't expecting anyone to be here at this time, you know? It's times like these where I kind of like to be left alone with my thoughts."

Medusa nodded at that, understanding perfectly. "Hm. I understand."

"Still, it's nice to have some company once in a while. My sister is usually too busy to join me, and I don't necessarily have many friends outside of this castle." The woman sighed, causing Medusa to feel a twinge of sympathy for the girl. Perhaps the both of them had more in common than she thought. "Ah, yes. I haven't introduced myself, right? How terribly rude of me. My name is Medea, the princess of Colchis. It's a pleasure to meet you... lady Medusa." She whispered the last part quietly, surprising Medusa. "There is no need to be surprised. It's not exactly a hard thing to guess."

"How long have you known?" Medusa asked with a curious expression.

"Ever since you've gotten here." Medea said before she shook her head. "Actually, I take that back. I wasn't the one who figured it out first. That would be jin."

"Oh? I'm surprised you're not running away in terror. Usually that's the first option people choose when it comes to dealing with me." Medusa joked, although their was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I can take care of myself." Medea said with assuring wave of her hand. "While I'm not sure if I could ever take you on in a fight I'm sure I could give you a challenge." Her voice suddenly softened a bit. "Besides, Kuro isn't exactly someone who does things without thinking first. If he has decided to place his trust in you then I shall do the same." Medusa was silent as she processed what Medea said, but she soon found herself smiling.

"I see. My thanks, I guess." Medusa said with a grateful smile to which Medea simply returned with one of her own before she frowned.

"Are you alright with that covering over your eyes?" Medea asked with concern. "I mean, wouldn't you like to see the real world? Besides, you know, darkness?"

"It's not much of a problem. I can actually 'see' the world better without the use of my eyes anyway. The blindfold is just so I don't go around petrifying the wrong people, so to speak." Medusa replied with a wave of her hand. "Learning a fair bit of sensory magic also helps a little bit."

"Sensory magic?" Medea echoed with surprise. "It's not exactly an uncommon practice, but i've never heard of it being used for someone of your case." Usually sensory magic was mostly used in the form of boundary fields and connections to familiars. There were also instances where it was used to enhance eyesight and hearing. However, she had never heard of it being used to allow a pseudo blind person to see.

"Oh? Are you a magus yourself?"

"Yes. Father started teaching me at a young age when I first became interested in it. It was... well, the only thing I ever found interest in." Medea said with an embarrassed smile. "I don't think he ever expected me to find an interest in it. Female magic users are very rare nowadays."

"Mmm." Medusa hummed. "That's quite true. Still, it's not like that's a bad thing. Imagine how the men would be if the women started taking over their work."

Medea winced at the thought of that. She knew that most of the guards here were married, but they were all extremely prideful. Most men all around Greece were the ones who would go out to war and deal with monsters while women usually stayed home and did all of the womanly chores.

Most women didn't seem to mind. To them, staying with their kids and taking care of them was just as important as fighting monsters. Still, it's not like all women were happy with that. They wanted to prove that they could do the jobs that a man was supposed to do. That was exactly how the warrior woman tribe known as the Amazons were formed.

"Anyway," Medusa continued. "There aren't that many magus' in the world right now. You're quite lucky to follow such a profession." She leaned back in the tub and sighed. "It took me quite a while for me to learn the basics even with the goddess teaching me."

Medea raised her eyebros in curiosity. "You were taught by a goddess? Which one?"

Medusa fixed her with a stare, or at least, Medea guessed it was a stare. The blindfold kind of made it hard to tell. "Actually, she's not really a goddess. She's actually a little bit older than them. You may know her as Hecate: The titan of magic."

Medea was silent and unmoving for several quiet seconds. It was starting to make Medusa worry if what she said had said had done something unknown to her when Medea let out a girlish squeal and placed her face in front of Medea with an excited expression.

"You've met her? The titan of magic?!" Medea asked with giddiness that was totally out of character for someone like her and was something that Stheno and Euryale would call un-lady like. "That's amazing! I don't think any magus or person have ever met Hecate in person before! Could you tell me what she was like?" Medusa chuckled at her expression as she raised her finger and pushed Medea's excited face away a little bit.

"Calm down. Such behavior is unbefitting for someone of your status." Medusa chided with a small smile, making Medea pout a little bit before she continued. "As for what she was like..." She paused for a moment as she tried to think of how to describe her. "She was very kind, but you had to have patience around her." She smiled in amusement. "She doesn't have much time on her hands so she doesn't come often, but time with her is always enjoyable."

"You must hang out with a lot of gods, huh?" Medea said with a slightly jealous tone. Medusa just gave a shrug, knowing how odd and quirky most of the gods were like in person. She didn't exactly have many gods visit her island often. The only ones who do would be Hermes, Hephaestus, Poseidon, and Hecate. Needless to say, they all had their quirks and problems that they could all deal with. Hermes was too hyper, Poseidon was a pervert, and Hephaestus was constantly comparing the human body to his animatronics and golems.

Still, it was nice to have some company from time to time. They were all pretty nice if you were able to see past their quirks. Besides, it's not like she could get them to stop even if she wanted them to. They don't tend to listen to other people unless you gave them a heavy bribe or offering.

This girl seemed to think that these beings were nice people. In some sense, they are. However, not all of them are like that at all. She should try to steer the girl away from this type of thinking. Worshiping the gods? Totally fine. Thinking you could friend one like Athena and Hera? Totally not a good idea.

She coughed into her hand. "They're all okay people, but you should hope you don't run into one of the gods ever during your lifetime."

"What? Why?" Medea asked with a frown.

"They don't tend to be in the best of moods when you mortals run into them, and they tend to blast things to bits to help relieve them of their anger." Seeing her surprised expression, Medusa laughed a bitter laugh. "You needn't be so surprised. The gods don't see things as you mortals do. While you may age over time and die out, the gods stay forever young for as long as time goes on. In truth, they don't really see you humans as nothing more than simple playthings. Of course, that doesn't stop them from going down and making demigod children."

"Father did always say the gods were an odd bunch..." Medea muttered.

"Odd is putting it nicely." Medusa said with an amused shake of her head.

"But aren't your sisters gods too?"

"In a way, yes. However, while they were blessed with immortality and stunning beauty, they are amongst the weakest beings on Gaia. That is why they require me to take care of them to survive." Medusa said with a chuckle at the irony. She was the younger sister, but she was the one taking care of the two of them. She should be the one bossing people around, not them.

"Were you a goddess once?" Medea asked. The gorgons were all said to have been princesses once. Could it be that Medusa herself used to look just like a carbon copy of her sisters?

"Once upon a time. When I was branded as a monster my divinity was stripped away from me." She shook her head bitterly. "When someone learns to love, they must learn to also bear the risk of hatred."

Medea winced. Those were some deep words right there. She could definitely see the meaning in them. "Can't you get your divinity back, though? It's not like you're stuck on the island anymore, right?"

"It's not that simple." Medusa said with a wave of her hand. "Only a god could give me back my divinity and I doubt any of them would be willing to do that." She paused for a moment before she cupped her chin in her hand. "Although, perhaps I could gain it back if I managed to snag one of those golden fruits in Tartessos."

Medea's eyes widened at that. "Hera's garden? The one with the Hesperides? That's suicide! I've heard that no one has ever managed to steal one of those fruits and lived to tell the tale."

Medusa shrugged. "It was just a thought. Did you honestly think that I would fly over there on pegasus and actually try to steal a fruit from a goddesses' garden? That would be ridiculous."

The both of them sat there in silence as they contemplated what she just said.

"Maybe you could get Kuro to snag one for you?"

"Psh. Yeah, right."

"What? It's not like he'd decline, right?"

Somewhere in the courtyard, Kuro felt a himself shivering despite a lack of a cold wind. He looked around with a confused expression before shrugging and heading inside. He didn't want to go and catch a cold.

* * *

Alex had breathed a sigh of relief when Meleager finally led them out of the city and towards his home of Calydon. He didn't like being stuffed inside such a small room in a foreign place and was already raring to go for a few hours.

The countryside was beautiful, and everything was pretty calm. In the fields, men worked the crops and harvested wheat and barley while others were herding their cows and goats in the fields to graze. Apparently ancient greek agriculture wasn't that much different from the rest of the worlds.

"Aren't these people worried that the boar is going to come and ravage their crops?" Alex asked with a frown as he watched them work.

"The boars not going to go attack them. The boar hasn't come out this far before, and I highly doubt it will." Meleager explained with a sigh. "It only eats the crops around Calydon, cutting off out supply. Any traders who try to bring food in is usually attacked and killed by the boar without any chance to run away."

"It's a phantasmal beast of the highest level." Atalanta said. "As an animal, it only cares about eating and sleeping. Humans are simply tasty looking morsels to it when it gets in the mood to eat."

"We're not the only ones who are going to be hunting this thing, right?" Desmond asked as he continued reading the map of the area.

"Most likely not. Father put out a hefty reward for the death of the monster, and there are people lining up to throw their lives away against that beast." Mleager chuckled. "It's surprising how greedy some people can be."

"Well, that's their fault." Alex said with a shake of his head. "Throwing their lives away for money is not worth it. Money won't make you happy for a long time."

Meleager shrugged at that. "Some people think differently. Money can buy you anything: Wealth, fame, friends, a good life, anything can be bought with money, and human life isn't much different."

"So true." Desmond said with a sigh.

"Humans are pretty dumb creatures. Especially males." Atalanta said with a teasing smile, causing all three males to give her a pouting look at her apparent discrimination for the opposite sex.

"Oi... that's not very nice." Meleager said with a sigh.

"Geez, little sister. What's your problem?" Desmond asked with a pout.

Atalanta blinked. "H-hey now, don't tell me you're getting upset over that?" Desmond's face continued to pout and it even looked like tears were going to erupt out of his eyes at any moment.

Alex gave an amused smile. He knew that Desmond was just playing around with her, and now was a good time for him to do a little bit of that as well. "Atalanta, you should say your sorry. Look how hurt Desmond is right now." On that note, Desmond began taking his acting up another notch as his cute pouting increased even further. One look at that absolutely convinced Atalanta that she had just committed some kind of mistake that she must fix at whatever the cost. She couldn't stand being looked at with that face!

"I-i'm sorry..." Atalanta muttered under her bed.

"What?" Desmond asked with fake obliviousness while Meleager and Alex struggled to contain their laughter. "I didn't hear you."

"I'm sorry." Atalanta said once again in a louder voice.

"Hm?"

At this point, the huntress was really getting tired of this. "I said I'm sorry, brother." She suddenly covered her mouth in surprise as she uttered those words. No! That was not what she wanted to say! He was going to hang this over her head the rest of the day because of her stupidity!

"Well, I guess I can forg-" Desmond froze for a moment as he processed what she just said. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"Nothing." Atalanta said quickly, but she felt herself shrinking when Desmond brought a shit-eating grin on his face.

"You totally called me brother, didn't you?"

"No, I would definitely remember something like that." Atalanta denied.

"Awwww, that's so cute!" Desmond gushed as he rubbed her head like he was petting a cat.

"S-stop that!" Atalanta whimpered as she tried pulling his hand off of her head to no avail.

"If you call me big brother then I'll stop!" Desmond said with glee as he continued to rub her head.

"Over my dead body!"

"Big brother."

"No!"

"Big brother."

"No!"

"Big brother!"

"Stop it!"

As the two of them went back and fort, Alex and Meleager just watched in amusement as she continued to try and worm Desmond's hand off of her head and escape from this situation.

"They do seem to pass off as siblings." Meleager commented.

"Yeah, they certainly act like it." Alex nodded in agreement. He had to admit, Desmond actually looked genuinely happy to be called a big brother. He was one of those only child who wished they had an older sibling. Now that he had a younger companion, he already seemed dedicated with getting her to say it.

He also thought they looked quite cute together like that. Perhaps he should get Desmond to tease her more often. Right now, though, it wasn't the time for them to be goofing off in the middle of the dirt path. Some of the farmers were already looking over with amused expressions while their wives were going 'awwwww' at the unusual display in front of them.

"Come on, Desmond. Stop teasing her like that. You can do that later when we arrive at Calydon." Alex said.

"He is right. We should be going before night starts to fall and we are stuck without any shelter." Meleager said in agreement. Desmond sighed, but the grin on his face still hadn't disappeared.

"Fine. Let's hurry up and get moving, little sister!" Desmond said as he resumed his walking with meleager following behind him quietly.

"G-geez..." Atalanta muttered as she watched Desmond's back with annoyance. "That monster... He gets off on this, doesn't he?" She said before she trained Alex an accusing glare. "You too! Don't think I didn't see you smile while I was suffering!"

Alex laughed and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, but I couldn't help it. I've never seen Desmond look that happy before. He's never had someone he could relate as a sibling, and now you've given him that." He gave her a grateful smile. "I guess I should thank you for that. It was nice watching the two of you interact like friends."

"Ah..." Atalanta could do nothing but stare at him in silence. Alex just laughed, and gently moved his hand downward to her own before he grasped it gently, causing the huntress to yelp in surprise.

"Come on. We don't want to get left behind, right?" Alex asked with a smile as he dragged her along, forcing her to walk after him even as she continued to stare at the back of his head in silence.

She looked past him, and watched Desmond chat happily with Meleager. True to Alex's words, he seemed to be oozing satisfaction and happiness from their little talk. Honestly, it was odd how one person could find pleasure in such a weird conversation, but Desmond sure did. An odd man compared to his much more serious partner.

Still, she had to admit that seeing him this happy made her heart twinge with some kind of funny feeling. She'd never admit it out loud, but the concept of being a younger sibling didn't seem too bad if she got to see more of Desmond like this. Deep down, he seemed to be a pretty dependable guy. Perhaps she could deal with someone like him being her 'elder brother'.

She nearly laughed out loud at that thought, but refrained from doing so. She didn't want Desmond pestering her again. It'll surely lead up to many misfortunes for her.

* * *

Kuro whistled a tune as he sat in the courtyard with a relaxed expression. He certainly didn't expect himself to be gone as long as he was, but he was glad to finally be back here in one of the most peaceful spots in the entire castle.

He sighed. Yes... the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and everything seemed to be perfect. Truly, nothing could possibly destroy the harmonic peace that has settled over the area. His eyes slowly closed, and he soon began drifting off into a nice and comfy sleep...

"KURO!"

Kuro squeezed his eyes in annoyance before sighing. He cracked them open, and found Chalciope storming towards him with a less than amused expression on her face. She definitely looked quite pissed about something.

"Hm? Hello there, Chalciope." Kuro greeted casually.

"Don't, 'hello there, Chalciope' me!" Chalciope yelled as she bopped him on the head with her fist. "What in hades took you so long to get back?! I was worried about you!"

Kuro whimpered as he rubbed his head with his hands. His tough guy attitude vanishing with the apparent realization that he was no match for what was in front of him. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long, honestly! There was just a slight change in plans that was easily taken care of."

"Oh yes, father already told me of your change in plans." Chalciope said sarcastically with her hands on her hips. "Honestly! Only you would bring the fabled monster back home with you peacefully after making friends with her and her sisters!" She took a deep breath. "Can you just go somewhere once without finding yourself in trouble?"

"Hey, It's not like I go looking for perilous situations!" Kuro defended with an offended look. "I just go out of my way to help hurting individuals and ease their sufferings. Besides, your father isn't upset about it."

Chalciope sighed in annoyance. "I know, but that's not what got me irked up! What has, is the fact that the guards had been too busy oogling those gorgons and haven't been paying much attention to their duties!" Her voice quieted a little. "Although, they really are quite cute..."

"You jealous?" Kuro asked with an amused grin.

"By the gods, no! I wouldn't want males to be looking at me all day!" Chalciope denied with an angry huff. Kuro laughed, and placed his hands in his pockets in a relaxed manner.

"Sure you do." Kuro said with a yawn. "Have you already met them?"

"Yes." Chalciope said with an amused look. "Very graceful and elegant. The epitome of a perfect ladies. Still, it's hard to take them so seriously with their height being lower than my chest."

"They're quite an earful." Kuro said with a chuckle. "Makes me wonder how Medusa even handled those two." He slammed his fist into his palm as if remembering something. "Oh! That's right! I also brought home this one kid along with the gorgons. Have you seen where he went? He's not too hard to find since he's quite... bright. He and luke ran off somewhere."

Chalciope's eyes widened. "What?! I must find them immediately before Luke decides to drag the kid on one pf his pranking runs!"

Kuro cocked his head. "Prank runs?"

"He's been doing it since you've left." Chalciope said before she ran off. Apparently, she really didn't want to disclose the information about what kind of pranks that Luke did on his pranking run. Of course, he had a faint idea on what he did during those times. He sighed, and stood up before pausing for a moment as he felt a presence enter the area.

"Alright, whoever you are, you can come out now." Kuro said with a little bit of authority laced into his voice. To his surprise, it was Medusa who had stepped out from behind a tree to meet him. Her hair was wet, indicating that she had gone to the baths. Surprisingly, she also seemed to smell nice. Perhaps those myths about greek baths weren't just all talk after all.

"Sorry..." Medusa apologized with a sheepish face. "I didn't wish to intrude on your little conversation."

Kuro's face softened. "Nah, it's fine. I appreciate your consideration." He turned towards her with a small smile. "So I assume you went to the baths?"

Medusa nodded with a smile. "Yes, it was quite an interesting experience. Although, I wasn't expecting someone to come in after me."

"Oh? Who followed you?"

"She said her name was Medea." Medusa said with a laugh. "She was quite an interesting person. Very interested in learning new things."

"Yeah." Kuro chuckled. "Well, I'm happy the two of you got along so easily. I would hate to break up a fight between you two."

Medusa shrugged. "She seems a little bit too gentle for that kind of thing."

"Trust me, she's like an entirely different person when she's angry." Kuro assured her with laugh before she gained a serious expression. "So what did you wanna talk to me about? I'm all ears for anything you've got to say."

Medusa shuffled for a moment, "Well... you know about my mystic eyes, right?"

"Yes, I know them. Why?"

"I don't wish to burden anyone with this, but..." She trailed off before shaking her head. "I might know a way to control them."

Kuro's eyebrows raised. "Oh? Is it safe?"

Medusa shook her head. "No. It isn't safe at all. In fact, it's practically suicide."

"Eh? This isn't some life threatening technique that you are going to employ, right?" Kuro asked with a worried look. "I'd hate for you to kill yourself on accident while I'm here."

"It's nothing like that." Medusa said quickly. "It involves a special item, but where it is located is a problem."

Kuro raised an eyebrow. "What is the object you speak of?"

Medusa fidgeted slightly. "What I'm talking about are the golden apples. They only grow in one location, and only one location only: Hera's garden in Tartessos."

"Golden apples?" Kuro echoed.

"They're Hera's special fruit. Taking a single bite from one of those fruits grants you immortality by turning you into a god. Of course, if you ate more than just one, you'd enter a state where you'd never even die at all."

"What's the difference?" Kuro asked.

"You'll continue to exist even if your body were to be reduced to nothing more than ashes." Medusa said with an uncomfortable look. "I've never actually seen it happen, but I've heard that Titans that had their body reduced to ashes often took many weeks or painful months to even reform. Could you imagine living like that?"

That... sounded quite painful. Of course, he knew that true immortality could be both a blessing and a curse. You would stay forever young while your mortal friends would grow old and pass in front of your very eyes. Quite depressing if you thought about it. Maybe that's why all the gods were such huge A-holes.

"Yeah... I guess." Kuro muttered before he shook his head. "So I assume giving you back your divinity will make this better? How does that work?"

"As a goddess, I would have much more authority than what I have right now. For now, I have absolutely no control over my eyes and require the use of my **Breaker Gorgon** to keep them in check. Once I take a bite of the fruit and become a goddess again, I should have enough authority to be able to take control of those eyes again."

"And all it'll take is a bite?" Kuro asked, receiving a nod in response. "Alright... I guess I could do this right now."

Medusa looked at him in surprise. "Wait... you'll actually do it?"

Kuro shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do right now. Besides, I could probably snag a few fruits for myse- oof!" He grunted in surprise as Medusa tackled him with a hug, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Oh, thank you..." Medusa muttered with a happy expression as she nuzzled herself against him in a very cute manner. Kuro blushed a little bit, before he snaked an arm behind her back and gave it a comforting pat.

"Mhm... No need to thank me." Kuro said with a small smile before he frowned. "You know, there's something that I've always wanted to ask you."

Medusa pulled away, and frowned. "What is it?"

"Why do you always seem to hang out around me?" Kuro asked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it. I just want to know why you seem to be around me more than your sisters of Chrysaor for that matter."

Medusa blushed a bit as she looked down. "W-well... It sort of has to do with my height, you see. You make me look a little bit smaller just by being near me."

Kuro raised an eyebrow at that. He always considered himself quite tall for an average human. He was at least 6'3, a fairly tall height for someone of his age. But... why did she care so much about her height? He seized her up for a moment, before a thought struck him. He grinned, and began ruffling her hair with an amused expression.

"Aw... You have a complex about your height, eh? You want to stand next to me to make you feel normal, right?" Kuro teased with a smile as he continued to rub his knuckle on her head, earning a whimper in response.

"I-I don't like being so tall. It's not cute at all..." She muttered meekly as she endured Kuro's teasings.

Kuro laughed out loud. "How amusing..." He pulled his hands away and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen Medusa, Being cute doesn't necessarily mean having to have a small body. From my view, you're just cute the way you are now."

"But older sisters always said that being small was cute... A big body like mine can't be held by a man like they can." Medusa muttered in depression before she gave an 'eep!' in surprise as she felt Kuro pull her close to him and envelop her in a hug.

"See? Perfectly fine. You just need the right type of person." Kuro said with a smile. "Besides, you needn't worry about those kinds of things." He pulled away, and Medusa suddenly found herself missing her position, but brushed it off quickly. Before she could say anything, however, Kuro had already began walking away. "Also, I will need to borrow Pegasus for a little while. I'm not going to go and take a boat and a horse just to see some garden."

Medusa pouted at that. Pegasus barely allowed anyone to ever ride him. Still, perhaps he would make an exception with Kuro. Perhaps telling the horse that he was going on an apple hunt will help convince the horse to go along without any problems.

Pegasus had a sweet spot for apples.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Sorry this took such a long, LONG, long time to release. I had been sick the couple past days and that had threw a wrench in the works of my regular schedule. I didn't want to do any writing while I was sick because the pain was annoying, and a sick mind doesn't exactly do well with writing stories.**

 **On the bright side, I'm no longer sick anymore! yay! So now, I can get back to doing more chapters! In fact, I'm already working on my next chapter. Just don't expect it to come out so quickly.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **-baloshua**


	21. Apple picking

Alex yawned as he woke up from his little slumber. He blinked twice, and found that the stars were still hanging over his head in the night sky. He sighed. They had set up camp a few hours ago, but he was sure that it dawn would have already broke when he woke up. He hated it when that never happened and he couldn't go back to sleep.

He sat up and winced in annoyance as he felt his back stiffen a little bit at the movement. As of now, his current sleeping arrangements had been reduced to simply sleeping in the comforts of leaves that were surprisingly comfortable. The amount of leaves under him had served as a sort of cushion to keep him for touching the ground. How Atalanta even managed to grab a bunch of them were beyond him, but she managed to somehow gather a ton of them when they weren't looking.

He honestly didn't expect a bunch of leaves to be this effective at comfort. Atalanta really did know her stuff when it came to surviving in the wilderness. The fire that they had started earlier hadn't gone out yet, and were still cackling with crisp embers as it eminated warmth.

Desmond was resting against a log with a little bit of drool falling out of the corners of his mouth. Meleager was leaning against the trunk of a nearby oak tree with his spear resting against his side. He had never paid attention to the weapon, but it was definitely a finely made spear that was made by a master blacksmith. It was an 8 ft long iron pole with a dangerous barbed tip that looked like it was meant to stick inside someone and screw around with their insides. Meleager never explained anything special about his spear, but said it was a gift from his dad before he left the kingdom.

He suddenly tensed when he realized that one party member was missing among them. He looked around with a little bit of worry before he spotted Atalanta sitting up in the trees along a branch with a bored, but alert look on her face. Her bow was firmly clutched in her hands and looked like it was in prime condition to be fired without a single moment of hesitation.

He smiled at that. He knew that they were resting out in the area where a supposedly dangerous wild boar prowled around during the day and night, but he felt like she was being a little bit too serious. Honestly, it amazed him that she hadn't gained any wrinkles or grey hair from stressful hunting.

He quietly made his way over to her as to not wake up his two sleeping comrades. The air was cool and crisp, enough to see his breath exhale from his nose and mouth. The climate had taken a drastic turn overnight, and it didn't seem anything like a normal climate of Greece. There was even a little bit of snow falling down onto the ground, but it wasn't enough for it to stick, luckily.

He forced chakra to his feet and began climbing up the tree silently until he managed to reach Atalanta's branch. Before he was even halfway up, however, Atalanta spoke up.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" She asked as she turned her head to face him. "It's quite a while away until Helios comes with the sun."

"I just woke up a few seconds ago." Alex said as he finally reached the branch she was sitting on. "How long have you been up?"

Atalanta shrugged. "I didn't keep track." She turned her head back to the clearing and sighed. "The three of you fell asleep before I did. Leaving me to be the one to be on lookout while the three of you slept." Despite the lack of change in tone, Alex could tell that she seemed slightly annoyed at that prospect.

"Sorry, that was a little bit rude of us." Alex said with a sheepish smile. "We were just too tired that we completely forgot about it."

"How could you be tired by simply walking? Don't forget that I also walked with you!" Atalanta said with an exasperated shake of her head. "You males are always quite lazy."

Alex pouted. "Hey, don't be like that. If you're tired of it, I wouldn't mind taking over for the rest of the night."

"Can you even stay focused long enough for me to even get some sleep?" Atalanta questioned.

"I am perfectly capable of doing such a task without problem." Alex assured her with a smile. "Don't worry about it so much."

"I can't help but worry about you." Atalanta said with a frown. "You attract all kinds of trouble to you. I wouldn't be surprised if the boar decided to show up and attack us right now because of it."

"Hey, it's not like it happens to just me!" Alex argued with an offended look. "Besides, you know I'm strong enough to take care of myself. Stop worrying yourself and just try to get some sleep."

Atalanta seemed to think about that for a moment, but it was obvious that she wasn't one hundred percent on board with the idea.

"What if something happens to you while I'm asleep?" Atalanta asked as she gave him a worried look. "I don't want to die without being given the chance to fight back."

Alex groaned at his partners continued stubbornness. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Atalanta... don't you trust me enough to do this? I know you're used to working by yourself, but you need to learn when to rely on others." He gazed into her eyes and let out a comforting smile. "I promise that I will wake you up in the unlikely event that something is wrong. Is that good enough for you?"

Atalanta was silent for a moment in thought as she contemplated on what he had just said. In truth, she had no doubt that Alex could handle any problem by himself since he has demonstrated prowess in many different kinds of skills. However, there was just a part of her that didn't want to make it seem like she was relying on him for everything. She may be a woman, but she had her pride as a huntress. Relying on others was something she didn't do.

Still, that insisting persistence of his was slowly whittling down her resolve. It didn't help that it was cold and her eyelids were getting a little bit droopy. A little nap right now couldn't hurt her, could it?

She sighed in defeat. "Alright... But only on one condition."

Alex nodded. "Name it."

She grinned. "You are going to let me sleep here with you while you stand watch in my place."

Alex blinked. "You mean... right here? On this branch? Isn't it a little bit unsafe for you to sleep on?" Atalanta grinned and wrapped her arm around his.

"You'll be here to catch me, won't you?" Seeing his discomfort, she giggled in amusement. "Didn't you say I could trust you with my life? How can I do that if you don't let me test it?"

Alex pursed his lips, but finally relented with a nod. "Alright... Come here." Atalanta grinned and scooted over to him. Eager to get some sleep, she laid her hand down in his lap and held onto him for support as to not fall off the branch. She let out a comfortable sound as she snuggled against him with a look of content.

"I can't believe you're so warm." Atalanta muttered as she held onto his cloak even tighter. "What are your clothes even made out of?"

"The finest of fabric." Alex said with a chuckle as he patted her head affectionately. "You should try and get some warmer clothes. You'll get sick if you don't have any suitable clothes to wear."

Atalanta pouted. "I never really thought about it that much. It's usually warm and hot every single day. It's very rare we have days like these in this part of Greece." She brightened up when a thought struck her. "At least this snow will do some good."

"How?"

"You're really dense, aren't you?" Atalanta said with a sigh, ignoring Alex's grunt of annoyance. "Use your head. The snow makes tracking the boar much easier. Do you think a creature like that can cover up its tracks with all the snow lying on the ground?"

Alex shrugged. "I guess not. I'll leave all the planning to you. Just point out what I need to do and I'll do it without hesitation."

"Leave the manly work to you, eh?" Atalanta muttered with an annoyed look. Alex just smiled and kept on rubbing her head warmly. The two of them stayed like that for several minutes before Alex noticed that Atalanta still seemed to shake a little bit despite the contact between the two of them.

"Are you still cold?" Alex asked with concern.

"A little." Atalanta admitted with a sheepish smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll get used to it soon."

Alex wasn't convinced about that at all. He brought a hand to his cloak and began unbuttoning it, earning a surprised look from the huntress. "W-what are you doing?"

"Keeping you warm." Alex said simply as he unbuttoned the last button and removed his cloak. "Should be a suitable replacement for a blanket."

"Won't you be cold?" Atalanta asked with worry. "It wouldn't be right. You should keep it for yourself since you'll be up the rest of the night."

"It'll be fine." Alex said with a smile as he draped the cloak around Atalanta like a blanket much to her insistence that he should keep it. "Better?"

Atalanta tucked the cloak cutely up to her face so only her eyes remained visible to him. "It's better. I'm not very cold anymore." She eyed him up with a frown. "If you start getting cold, don't hesitate to take it back if you want."

"That won't be neccessary." Alex said nonchalantly. "If you don't believe me, go and touch my arm."

Atalanta blinked for a moment in confusion before she raised her hand and gently touched Alex's head. Her eyes widened in surprise and alarm when she felt his face was warmer than normal.

"You're burning up!" Atalanta exclaimed with worry as she touched his skin. "Are you coming down with a fever?"

Alex gave a small chuckle at her concern. "No, I'm not. There's nothing wrong with my body at all." He gently removed her hand from his face and held it in his own. "I simply raised my body temperature up a little bit to keep me warm."

Atalanta fixed him with a bewildered expression before she sighed in acceptance. "I'm not even that surprised anymore. You just keep pulling out one oddity after another."

"Pretty convenient, huh?" Alex said with a smile. "It helps when you get caught in situations like this."

Atalanta shrugged. "I guess. Still, couldn't you just grab firewood instead?"

"Eh... too much work." Alex said with a wink, making Atalanta just sigh in annoyance before she laid her head down in his lap.

"Whatever... Just shup up and be a good pillow, okay?" Atalanta muttered as she began to close her eyes. She suddenly tensed up when she felt Alex's warm hand brush her hair gently. For some odd reason, it felt really... satisfying. His touch was really gentle and warm. For a moment, she wondered if Alex was doing this because he was bored, or he just simply wanted to comfort her. Either way, she hoped he didn't stop anytime soon.

Alex didn't stop brushing her hair. Even after she had peacefully fallen asleep, he still continued to do so as he remained vigilent and kept his eyes out for anything that could be a potential threat. In truth, he thought it was kind of cute how Atalanta clinged onto him like a pillow. It made him feel important even if the job was kind of a trivial one.

He looked up at the night sky and watched as several shooting stars flew through the sky. He wondered if those were actually the gods flying across the sky in their chariots. It wouldn't have surprised him that much.

Suddenly, a white comet streaked across the sky that was much too close to even be an ordinary comet. He watched as it streaked across the sky before it finally vanished out of his view. It seemed like it was headed towards some kind of large mountain in the distance that oddly had a vortex of white clouds surrounding the cap of the mountain.

"Huh..." Alex muttered as he stared at the mountain. "Wonder what that could be."

* * *

Kuro held tightly onto Pegasus' reigns as they zoomed towards the mountain at breakneck pace. On foot or boat, it should have taken them several days for them to have even reached the mountain. On magical flying horse, however, it only took him two and a half hours.

Of course, they had to stop and ask for directions from a few towns they passed, but most of the locals were kind enough to give him directions to the mountain. Some of them even warned him about going there since no mortal ever managed to snag a fruit ever since the tree has ever been planted.

Was that going to stop him? Hell no! He had a flying horse on his side. What could possibly go wrong? All he had to do was fly in there. Grab a few apples off of a tree, and fly out of there before anything bad happened.

He knew it wasn't going to be so simple, but he could only hope. Supposedly, the garden was at the base of the mountain and was guarded by the hesperides. They were daughters of the titan Atlans, whom was said to be at the top of the mountain holding up the sky as punishment for fighting against the gods during the titan and gods war. How anyone was able to hold something like the sky was beyond him. He's seen statues at museums about it, but it seemed a little bit farfetched.

"Where do you think we should land?" Kuro asked Pegasus as they hovered in the air. The horse just neighed in response. "Since I can't understand you, I'll just trust my instincts." He studdied the landscape before he found an open clearing that was perfect for a landing zone. He whipped the reigns and spurred Pegasus into descent. The horse obeyed his command and landed in the middle of the clearing silently.

"Thanks, buddy." Kuro said with a light pat on the head, which Pegasus seemed to like. "Stay here, okay?" The horse neighed and began grazing on the nearby grass. Satisfied, Kuro began heading towards the mountain. He trudged through the forest, crossing over random streams and huge roots that sprouted from the ground.

Suddenly, he froze as he felt a presence nearby. His hand drifted towards Samehada as he kept an ear and eye out for anything suspicious. Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Aex? Desmond?" A deep voice rumbled from behind him. Kuro turned around and saw a huge giant with a huge bow and an equally big stone club. Draped across his body was a furry shroud that had a lion maw used as a sort of face protection. It was pretty obvious who was standing before him.

The giant tensed when he looked upon his face. "You're not desmond or alex..."

"That's true." Kuro said, his hand still hovering close to his sword. "They're my friends. How do you know them?"

"They traveled with me on the argo to deliver an important artifact." The giant rumbled. "They never talked about someone like you."

"Really? I thought he would have told you about me." Kuro muttered. "What happened with the Fleece?"

"Last I heard, it was being sent back to Colchis on ship."

"That's good." Kuro said with a sigh of relief. "What's your name?"

The giant grunted. "Names Heracles. I also just so happen to be here on a mission as well. I'm guessing you're here for the apples?"

Kuro nodded. "Something like that."

"Seeing as you and me have the same goals, why don't we help each other out?" Heracles offered.

"That sounds great. It'll make this a whole lot easier." Kuro said with a nod in agreement. "Do you know where the tree is at?"

"Indeed I do. I was planning on how to snag an apple when I saw you arrive on that flying horse of yours." Heracles said.

"Very recognizable, huh?" Kuro said with an embarrassed look. Heracles shrugged and shouldered his bow.

"The tree is guarded by a huge drgon with hundreds of heads. Taking it by surprise is impossible, and it never lowers its guard over the tree." Heracles said with a frown. "The only way to kill it would be head on."

"Anything you could identify as a weakness?" Kuro asked.

"The dragons body is wrapped around the trunk of the tree. As far as I can tell, it doesn't have any feet it can use to chase us with. If you can blitz past it and get out, it won't be able to chase us." Heracles said.

"I highly doubt it'd be that easy." Kuro said as he shouldered Samehada. "What about the hesperides?"

"They're not a threat at all. They simply tend to the tree and the dragon, and don't seem to be keen on combat. That's why the dragon is there."

"You think we could take the dragon on if we tried?" Kuro asked.

"Maybe, but I can't touch the apples." Heracles said with an annoyed look.

Kuro gave him a confused look. "Why not?"

"Hera would blast me on the spot." Heracles grumbled as he scratched his back. "The two of us don't have a nice history with each other. If I laid hands on that fruit, she'd use it as an excuse to blast me to pieces."

"Ouch." Kuro said with a wince. "If you can't grab it, do you think I could?"

Heracles shrugged. "Who knows? If I were you, I wouldn't chance it."

The two of them were silent for a moment before Kuro shrugged. "Whatever. If she blasts me, she blasts me. I'll deal with it if that happens."

"So you're the type to take a gamble, eh?" Heracles chuckled. "You and Desmond are alike in some ways."

"So I have been told." Kuro said before he straightened up. "So where's the tree at?"

Heracles waved his hand. "Follow me. It's just up ahead. Just try not to trip on all of the roots that have grown around here." With that, Heracles lumbered off. Kuro fell in behind him, carefully as to not trip over a random root like Heracles said. They traveled for several minutes before they came into another clearing that was filled with white flowers and daisies. In the middle of the flower field, was a small tree with various golden apples hanging from its branches.

"There it is." Heracles said as he pointed towards the tree. "And there is the dragon."

Kuro focused at the base of the tree and widened his eyes in surprise. Wrapping itself around the tree, was a bunch of flailing necks with a small snake like head on each end. There were so many of them that the entire lower half of the trunk had simply vanished amongst the necks.

"That's alot of heads. Absolutely disgusting." Kuro muttered as he watched the necks hiss and turn as it kept its valliant guarding.

"A monster of Gaia." Heracles murmured in agreement. "This thing won't go down without a fight. The best thing for us to do is to hit it hard and hit it fast."

"I'm with you on this one." Kuro said with a nod. "So who's going to go first?"

"I will." Heracles said simply as he raised his bow and drew an arrow from his quiver. Notching the arrow and drawing it back, he spoke:

"Nine lives."

Heracles let go of the arrow and watched as it zoomed toward the heads, who straightened up at the sense of danger. The arrow suddenly multiplied into a nine arrowed laser beam of death as it cut through the dragons heads. The heads roared at the loss of their other heads and immediately trained their sights on where they were hiding.

"Let's go!" Heracles roared as he immediately drew his stone club and charged at the dragon with a roar while the dragons roared back. Kuro grunted and stood up to follow him.

"Perhaps this would be the best time to test out those eyes." Kuro muttered with a little bit of unrestrained glee at the excitement of testing out a new ability he had waited to use for so long. Which one should he use? Rinnegan or Tenseigan?

It took him several seconds to decide, but he finally decided on using the Rinnegan. The tenseigan could wait for another target some other time. He closed his eyes and began focusing chakra to his eyes before he felt a shift. When he opened his eyes, he was able to see the dormant chakra inside of Heracles and the huge ass dragon.

He grinned. "Sweet! It worked." He looked behind him, and found several black orbs floating behind him in a circular manner. It kind of made him look like a buddhist if he thought about it. There were ten of them floating behind him. More than enough to take care of the dragon.

"Alright... Let's see how this goes." kuro muttered as he dashed forward. Several of the dragon heads hissed as they turned to him and blew multiple streams of fire at him. Kuro formed a shield in front of him using one of the truth-seaking orbs and continued his dash forward. The orb didn't even waver as it took on the full front of the attack. Once he got close enough, he dropped the shield and raised Samehada.

"Chomp on this!" Kuro yelled as he swung his sword, cutting through several heads and sending heads rolling across the ground. Despite being a sword meant to shave, it still was pretty decent at cutting through things.

Heracles roared and slammed his club down on a head before using his fist and backhanding several more out of the way. Despite being a huge target, Heracles pranced out of the way of several fire blasts. How he did that was unknown to Kuro, but he was glad he didn't have to worry about the big guy.

He converted one of the orbs into a bo staff and wielded it in his free hand as he waded through the sea of heads, smashing and cutting through anything with a long neck and scales. He suddenly jumped back in surprised as a beam of heat cut through the air next to him.

"That's new..." Kuro muttered as he dodged another beam. The heads were apparently switching from large blasts of fire to concentrated accurate beams. He raised Samehada as another beam shot towards him and watched as the sword absorbed it out of thin air.

"Kukukukuku..." The sword garbled in a displeased manner.

"Sorry. Forgot you hated fire." Kuro apologized as he sent several of his orbs forward into a group of heads, causing the ground to erupt into an explosion of dust as the orbs completely crushed the heads upon contact. He turned to another group of heads and raised his hand up in a stopping motion.

"Almighty push!"

An invisible force jutted out of his hands and slammed into the heads with enough force to completely rip their heads from their bodies. Right now, there were just a few heads left and they definitely seemed like they were panicking. They were throwing beams of fire around without even bothering to aim.

"You alright?" Kuro asked as he stood back to bck with Heracles.

"I'm fine. Just a few burns here and there." Heracles grunted as he eyed him up. "What's with the new getup?"

Kuro looked at him with his purple eyes. "Just an ability i have. Alex and Desmond have them too, but i'm guessing they never showed you it, huh?"

Heracles shrugged in confirmation. Those eyes were creepy in their own right. Even from a single glance, he could tell that they contained a hidden power deep within them. Even those black spheres unnerved him more than any other beast he had encountered.

"heads up. The beast is coming." Kuro warned. Heracles turned to look at the remaining heads, which had been reduced to eight, and watched in surprise as they began peeling themselves off of the tree. Legs grew, and the dragon now looked like a regular hydra. The necks that didn't have any heads on them simply shedded and fell off the body with a hiss.

"It grew legs. Troublesome creature." Heracles muttered as he watched the dragon shake like a wet dog. Much to his surprise, the beast didn't seem to make any move towards them. In fact, it seemed to shrink away from them and whimper in fear.

"Is it afraid of us?" Kuro whispered with a questioning look.

"we are pretty intimidating." Heracles whispered back as he continued to eye the beast. "What do you think we should do with it?"

Kuro was silent for a moment as he contemplated on ideas. He suddenly snapped his fingers as he felt a thought come to him. Slowly, he began approaching the beast much to the surprise of both Heracles and the dragon.

"What are you doing?" Heracles hissed. Kuro sent him a reassuring wave as he continued his approach. The dragon whimpered, and bent lower as if it was expecting him to hit it or something. It was like a puppy who peed on the floor and was expecting a beating with a rolled up piece of newspaper. Luckily, Kuro had a different thought in mind.

"Hey, buddy... Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." Kuro said with a reassuring tone as a chakra receiver formed in his left hand. The dragon hissed a little bit, but it didn't make any move to back away.

"You've got to be kidding me." Heracles muttered in disbelief as he watched Kuro finally reach the dragon and begin petting one of the heads with his hand. The dragon shaked with pleasure and began making sounds that a dragon shouldn't have been able to make.

Kuro grinned as the rest of the heads go jealous and began surrounding him for pets of their own. "Awe... You liked being pet, dontcha?" He petted all of the heads and earned whimpers of delight from all of them. "How about being my pet? You'd like that, right?"

The dragon let out a sound that resembled both a dogs bark and a roar. Kuro took that simply as a yes and began moving to the dragons body, petting it to reassure he won't do anything bad. When he made it to the middle of the dragon, he carefully took his chakra receiver and slowly began sticking it into the dragons chest. The dragon whimpered, but it didn't do anything. Once he had secured it in place, he gave the dragon another comforting pat.

"All better?" Kuro asked. The dragon's heads nodded and Kuro grinned. "Great! That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"I can't believe you just did that." Heracles muttered as he watched Kuro pet the dragon with affection.

"I've been told I do things that defy people's expectations." Kuro said simply as he scratched the dragons ear. He turned to the golden apples and frowned. "So do you want me to take the apples?"

Heracles grunted. "Go ahead if you want. Don't blame me if you get blasted to dust."

Kuro nodded, and began reaching towards one of the apples. Slowly, he grabbed one of them and plucked it from its branch. He tensed, waiting for something to happen like being turned into a grease stain on the ground, but nothing happened. He exhaled and tossed the fruit to Heracles, who caught it in his hand with a surprised look.

"Huh... Now I've seen everything." Heracles said in disbelief as he examined the authentic golden apple in his hands. Kuro shrugged, and began resuming to pluck more apples.

* * *

Up on Mt. Olympus, the queen of the gods was in deep thought as she stared at the two mortals below. One of which being her husbands demigod child.

Normally, she would have blasted Heracles for even being in her sacred garden. Before she could do so, however, HE showed up.

She had thought for him to be Alex or Desmond, but it turned out to be a friend of theirs named Kuro. Apparently he was there for the same reason as Heracles himself: to take her sacred fruits from her sacred garden.

She would have also blasted him as well, but she had taken a strange fondness with Alex and Desmond. Perhaps their friend wasn't any different?

Indeed, he wasn't that much different at all. Similar personalities, and the lack of being a demigod with any godly parents. The only thing that was different was those strange eyes he had exhibitted. Just seeing them made her shiver for a moment, even up here in the heavens.

Such power in someone like him was an anomally. She had expected him to use it to slaughter her pet dragon that she had placed their to guard the tree in place of the hesperides. Those daughters of the titan couldn't be trusted.

Imagine her surprise when she watched him reduce most of the heads to stumps until only eight had remained instead of reducing them to zero. Not only that, but he seemed to somehow tame the mighty beast by petting it while heracles just watched like the stupid oaf he was.

She was so curious about the child that she completely forgot to blast them when they began plucking apples off the tree and handing them to her sworn enemy. In the end, she didn't feel like commiting homicide and just resorted to watch them leave with their prize.

There was just one question that was gnawing at her: What did he need those apples for? Sure, they could turn you into an immortal, but he was taking several of them. Enough for an entire family.

She'd keep her eyes on him. The boy seemed pretty carefree and didn't seem intent on using the apples for any nefarious purposes, but she would have to be careful. If she remembered correctly, Alex and Desmond came from Colchis. No doubt Kuro also came from the same kingdom.

She stood up from her throne and went to go fetch her chariot. She needed to go and run some errands with a visit being one of them.

* * *

 **oh snap! Kuro has managed to attract the direct attention from the queen of olympus herself. What does this mean for our hero?**

 **Tune into the next chapter to find out!**

 **-baloshua**


	22. One garden is enough

Kuro sighed in relief as he and Pegasus finally landed back in the castle's courtyard. The entire trip hadn't taken very long and it could have been compared to a drive from Peoria to Chicago. Even the meet up with Heracles, fighting the dragon, and plucking the fruits, had taken only less than two hours all together. Granted, the trip back was a little bit long, but he still managed to get back as the sun was coming up.

He dismounted Pegasus and gave his snout a quick pat, earning a satisfied neigh in response. "Go ahead and get yourself some rest, boy. I worked you a little bit too hard today, eh?"

The horse huffed as if to say, "Duh. I just flew over an ocean and past five kingdoms without any breaks in-between. What do you think I feel like right now?"

Kuro frowned. "How about some hay later, alright? In the meantime, why don't you, uh, go and graze on some fresh garden grass until I can go and get you some."

Pegasus just snorted in response before he trotted over to a patch of yellow sunflowers that were blooming in the corner of the garden under a tall oak tree. With a relaxed grunt, Pegasus flopped down on the poor patch of flowers and began feasting on the surrounding grass in a lazy manner.

Kuro chuckled at the horses actions before he walked off with his loot to go and find Medusa. She'd probably be in the most secluded area of the castle so he could probably check the mess hall and winery off of his list.

"She's a former earth goddess. Maybe she'd be in the garden?" Kuro thought to himself as he strolled through the garden. It'd be the most likely area for her to be in. It was quiet, peaceful, and secluded enough for her not to be disturbed.

"Seems like a good place to start." Kuro muttered as he entered another part of the garden. The courtyard was a maze of trimmed bushes and wildlife, making it a little bit too easy for someone to get lost in if they aren't careful. Luckily, he had managed to memorize the layout to most of the parts of the garden after several strolls.

King Aeetes had a strange fondness for animals. At times, he could find random squirrels and cats wandering around aimlessly. He knew that present day Greece had a cat problem, but it seemed to be the same even for this time period.

He strolled into another open square and sighed when he saw that Medusa wasn't there. He had considered calling out her name, but he didn't want to make a big fuss over this. As he turned to head into another area of the courtyard, he heard a voice that froze him in place.

"What do you think you're doing with my sacred fruits, mortal?" A female voice said from behind him. Kuro felt himself rooted in place, feeling that if he moved or acted without thinking, then he'd be blasted into a million pieces.

"Well? Answer my question, mortal." The voice said, more demanding this time. Kuro gritted his teeth, but still maintained his calm outward appearance. Very slowly, he turned around and came face to face with a woman. She was beautiful, with red hair and a young face, but there was a sense of power coming from her if her words were any indication.

He was in total shit right now. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was standing in front of him right now. There weren't really many women amongst the olympian council, and he couldn't think of any goddesses who would want to come and talk to him.

All except one.

"Play it cool, Kuro. You've got this. Just keep yourself calm and take this through slowly." He took a slow breath before a smile formed on his face. "Well... I suppose you wouldn't happen to be Lady Hera, would you?"

The woman tapped her foot impatiently and she didn't say anything in response, but she did nod her head in reply to his question. Guessing that he should continue talking, Kuro continued on.

"Well... I was just out running some erands, and someone important to me asked for a special request." Kuro held up the basket of apples. "They requested for your famous golden fruit, and I couldn't turn someone like her down."

The goddesses foot tapping stopped, but the look in her eyes didn't change. "That's it? You think this excuses you for your actions? There's a reason why I've kept those fruit for myself. Mortals like you would fight each other to extinction for such a priceless treasure like this."

"That's... true." Kuro agreed with a scratch of his head. "But the person who asked me for this needs it very badly. She has a special condition that she has lived with all her life. When she told me that there was a way for me to help her, I immediately took the chance."

Hera's gaze frowned. "All this for a woman who is important to you? Is she your wife?" It was a simple question, but Kuro was quite taken aback.

"Ah..." Kuro blushed at the thought of having a beautiful woman like Medusa as a wife before he frowned and pushed the thoughts away. He shouldn't think of things like that. It was unbecoming of him. "She's not my wife. I only met her not too long ago, but she's quite a nice person."

"I see... a possible lover?" Hera asked with a twinkle in her eyes, causing Kuro to blush even more.

"N-no! She's just a friend!" He looked down at his feet and kicked a pebble. "I haven't known her long enough for those kinds of things, but she's still part of my family. You're the goddess of family as well, right? Surely you know that'd you do things for your family even if some of them don't see eye to eye with you, right?"

The goddess paused at that. "That may be true mortal, but you still must pay for your actions."

Kuro sweated at that, but he didn't back down from the blatant talk of his death. He didn't want to attack the goddess since that would only yield one answer that would leave him unsatisfied. He couldn't settle for death. Not now. That would be sad of him.

"Please..." Kuro said as he got down on his knees and bowed low. So low in fact, that his head was touching the ground. "If you wish to blast me and send me to Hades, then you can do so. But please... I ask that you show mercy and leave one apple here for my family. If you can grant me my wish then I can die knowing that I have fulfilled my job as a servant to my family."

He was really pulling out all the stops. It was something out of a cheesy action film where the protagonist would pull something from the bottom of his heart just before his death and make everyone take a trip on the feels train.

Still, what he said wasn't a lie in any way or form. He truly did mean it. Begging wasn't something that was beneath him. It just showed how far you would go to reach whatever goal you were working for.

Hera had stood still in surprise as if she wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from him. On one hand, he was a fine gentleman who seemed to care about his family members which is something that she respected greatly. On the other hand, it put her into a tight position. Despite what many would think, she was actually quite the sucker for sincere people like him. Such complete dedication for love and family was one of the things she loved and respected the most.

Still, she admitted that she certainly holds grudges easier than the other gods (Heracles) Because she tended to be a little bit hotheaded than the rest of them. Even her son Ares couldn't compare to her wrath.

She sighed. "Stand up, mortal." Kuro brought his head up with a surprised look which brought an annoyed look on the goddesses face. "I said stand up, mortal. Are you deaf?"

"Yes, because I totally can't hear you." Kuro muttered as he stood up.

"Was that sarcasm I just heard, young man?" Hera asked, nostrils flaring.

"Yes, lady Hera."

"Good. There may be hope for you yet." Hera nodded in approval. A good back bone was always a nice thing to have. "Now, listen up because I'm only going to say this once." She pointed over to a grove that had numerous amounts of flowers. "Do you see that patch of Hellebore flowers over there?"

Kuro frowned. There were so many flowers that it was kind of hard to tell them apart. "I don't see any."

Hera sighed and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, a bunch of yellow flowers bloomed immediately in a circle among the others, setting them apart. "There. Do you see them now?"

"Yes." Kuro said as he eyed the patch. "What is it for?"

"I'm getting to that." Hera snapped. "I will let you go on one condition..." She paused for dramatic effect. "I want you to promise me that when you finish consuming the apples, you will take their seeds and plant them where the patch of flowers grew. This entire area will be my new sacred grove to replace the one that you destroyed earlier."

"Oh..." Kuro muttered as he looked at the patch of flowers. "Will trees grow from the fruit?"

Hera nodded. "It's a much nicer place here than that cursed mountain. Once you bury the seeds, the trees will flourish in two days time. I will allow you and the royal family to pluck some if you wish, but anyone else is off limits." She looked around and sighed. "You should be happy you've fallen into my graces, mortal. Not many humans could say they have."

He was sure that the only mortal Hera took a liking to was Jason, but he chose to hold his tongue. No need to mess up this wonderfully convenient moment.

"I can also see that this kingdom has already been quite blessed by quite a few gods. I've never seen so many blessings in one place." She turned and gave him a critical eye. "I caught sight of Hephaestus creations on my way here. A milk fountain?"

Kuro blinked at that. "Oh yeah. We do have one of those. I don't know where king Aeetes got it though." The milk fountain was quite an odd sight. It was literally a fountain that spouted milk instead of water. He had no idea how it function, but it was definitely the coolest thing he ever saw. He had tried asking where he managed to get it, but all Aeetes said was that he got it as a gift of some sort.

He frowned. "Wait, how would you know if Hephaestus created it?"

Hera snorted. "It's obvious. He made similar fountains like those up on olympus." Her voiced lowered as she muttered to herself. "Although those spout Ambrosia. Perhaps a milk fountain would be a nice change of pace..."

Kuro sweat dropped at that. "Uh, If that's all you're asking for then I promise I will not disappoint you." he said with another grateful bow.

"You'd better not. Don't make me rethink my judgement with you." Hera said with a serious demeanor before her face became thoughtful. "Now that I think about it, what is your name?"

Kuro paused for a second before answering. "Kuro."

Hera hummed. "Kuro, huh? Sounds familiar..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Don't bother listening to my ramblings. Just don't forget what I've told you and everything will be fine."

"Yeah... got it."

The goddess nodded. "Take care, mortal." And with that, the dangerous woman snapped her fingers and disappeared in a flash of light. Kuro stood still for a couple of seconds before he released a long breath of relief.

"That... good have gone bad." Kuro muttered with a shake of his head. He glanced at the patch of flowers and ran a hand through his hair. "Still, I'm glad it didn't. Guess I should go and find Medusa so I can dump this stash."

He left the courtyard and entered the castle, passing several maids who had woken up early to perform their regular duties. He asked a few of them where Medusa was and had kindly received directions to where she was at. Turns out she was down in archives and was immersing herself in the records that were stored there.

When he opened the door to the archives, he found Medusa sitting in the corner with several tomes and scrolls. What surprised him, however, was the fact that Medea was there as well reading along with her.

"You two look like you're having fun." Kuro said with a small smile as he watched them interact with each other. The two of them looked up, and grinned when they saw him. Especially when they saw what he was carrying.

"You're back! In one piece too!" Medea said with a smile as she eyed the basket in his hands. "Are those...?"

"Yup. The real deal." Kuro said with a grin as he lifted one of the apples and tossed it to Medusa, who caught it with one hand.

"Incredible... You actually managed to retrieve them. Quite a few at that." Medusa muttered as she eyed the other apples. Counting the one in her hand and the four apples in the basket, there were five golden apples in total. "What's the rest of the apples for?"

"For the rest of us, of course." Kuro said obviously as he tossed another apple to Medea, who caught it with surprise.

"A-are you sure this is okay?" Medea asked as she stared at the fruit with uncertainty. "I mean... This wasn't something that was meant to be in mortal hands in the first place."

"Don't worry about it. The goddess herself told me that it would be okay." Kuro said with a dismissive gesture, completely missing the two surprised looks from the women.

"L-lady Hera spoke to you?" Medusa asked with a surprised look. Despite not having met the queen of olympus herself, she knew better than to not address her as anything else. She had heard stories from her sisters about Hera's wrath, and wasn't willing to go try and attract it.

Kuro nodded. "She surprised me at first, but she and I parted on good terms." He chuckled. "I sort of sacked her garden while I fought against a dragon so she wants me to plant the seeds of the apple in the garden as a way of replacing her old one."

Medea made a choking sound. "W-we're having another sacred cove?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Kuro confirmed with an amused smile at her expression. "Relax. It won't be too bad. Receiving a blessing from the queen of the gods herself? That probably makes us the best kingdom in Greece, eh?"

Medea sighed. "I guess that's true. Still, Ares' grove is hard to take carre of by itself..." She turned to Medusa, "Well... since Kuro brought this for you why don't you take the first bite?"

Medusa stared at her for a moment before nodding. Slowly, she brought the apple up to her mouth and opened wide before taking an equally slow bite. There was a moment of silence before Medusa took another bite, bigger this time. Pretty soon, she had eaten the entire apple, but had left the seed untouched in the palm of her hand.

"Do you feel any different?" Kuro asked with an expectant look.

"Yes." Medusa replied with a small smile. "I feel... healthier. Like I could never get sick."

"What about your eyes?" Medea asked with an excited looks. Medusa shrugged, and brought her hand to the blindfold covering her eyes.

"You might want to turn around." Kuro whispered to Medea, who nodded and turn around to face the wall. Medusa slipped off her blindfold, keeping her eyes closed as a safety precaution. In preparation, Kuro riled up his chakra a little bit to force down the petrification if the spell takes effect.

"Go ahead. Open your eyes." Kuro said gently. Slowly, Medusa opened her eyes to reveal the beautiful grey eyeballs that were always kept underneath the blindfold. There was another moment of still silence as kuro stared into her eyes before noticing something.

He didn't feel anything wrong with his body.

He returned his chakra to its normal flow, and still didn't feel anything. No strange feeling was creeping up his body. His skin wasn't turning to stone. Just... nothing.

"It worked." Medusa muttered in disbelief as she stared at him. "It actually worked..."

"Is it alright for me to turn around now?" Medea asked as she tried to keep herself from spinning around to see what was going on.

"Yeah. Just do it slowly." Kuro confirmed with a nod. Medea slowly turned around and blinked in surprise as she saw Medusa's face clearly for the first time.

"Woah... Beautiful." Medea muttered in awe as she stared at the grey eyeballs. Medusa blushed at the attention, and twiddled her fingers nervously.

"P-please don't stare so much." Medusa muttered shyly. Medea blushed for a moment, before nodding.

"Forgive me. I was just surprised that your plan actually worked." Medea apologized. "So are your eyes normal now?"

"No. They can still petrify, but my authority with them has risen to the point where I'm able to control them. I could even un-petrify anyone I turn into a statue on accident." Medusa explained before she turned to Kuro and bowed her head. "I'm sorry for this. Asking for such a thing was selfish of me, and it could have gotten you killed."

"Hey... no need for any thanks. I'm just doing my job." Kuro said with a smile as he gave her a pat on the head. "Besides, don't focus on the 'what-if's' and all that crap. It won't do you any good."

Medusa let out a cute squeak of surprise as she felt Kuro's hand ruffle her hair, causing his smile to change into a grin of amusement.

"So warm." Medusa thought to herself as she made no effort to remove his hand from her head. Her head was swimming with a feeling that she couldn't describe. It felt familiar, but she couldn't come up with an answer for it.

His hand was rough. Probably because of him gripping that sword of his, but it was warm and ran through her hair easily.

Now that she was closer to him, she began taking in his prominent features. His hair was dark and he stood taller than her. His skin was dark, but she could tell that there was a hint of whiteness that was hidden by the tan he had received from spending his time outside. His eyes were blue, a rare color, and his face told her that he was perhaps around her age. A little bit older or maybe a little bit younger.

What really caught her attention, however, was just how tall he really was. Despite herself being tall for a woman, Kuro was still taller than her by a couple of inches, forcing her to lift her head to look at him.

In all her years on living on that island, she had seen many different types of people who ranged from short to tall, to chubby and fat. Still, she had never once had to tilt her head upwards to look at someone. It was... odd finding a person that was actually taller than her.

She was brought out of her staring when she heard Medea let out a cough. "Could you two continue your little thing somewhere else? I'm still here, you know. Also, I really want to see what this apple tastes like."

Medusa blushed fiercely while Kuro just deadpanned at Medea as he retracted his hand from her head. "Alright, alright. No more of that, okay?" He raised his own apple. "Ready?"

"Ready." Medea said as she raised her own apple. The two of them slowly brought their apples up to their mouth and took their first bite.

It was the most satisfying apple either of them had either eaten. It wasn't too hard, and it didn't taste like total shit. Also, there weren't any worms so that was another added bonus. Who even likes finding worms in their apples, anyway?

Plus the juices coming out of the apple weren't half bad either...

* * *

"You know if you wanted a coat of your own, you could have asked me or Alex to make one for you, right?" Desmond teased as he watched Atalanta huddled Alex's cloak around her as she tried to keep herself warm.

"S-shut it!" Atalanta muttered with a red face as she brought the cloak up to cover her rosy cheeks. "It never once crossed my mind..."

Alex chuckled and put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Alright you two, knock it off. We're almost there so try to keep your fighting to a minimum, alright?" He turned to Meleager. "How much farther?"

Meleager pointed to a giant wall off in the distance. "It's right over there. The only line of defense against the boar. Nothing much, really. Father can't increase the defenses because of the boar, so it's all we really have."

"I'm surprised you guys could forget about Artemis." Atalanta muttered. "I mean, there's only twelve gods and goddesses. It's not that hard to remember."

Meleager shrugged. "I don't know what to say. I wasn't there at the time."

The four of them arrived at the gates to the city and came across a guard who was sitting behind a guard station with his head resting against his hands as he snored away. Meleager frowned at the sight before he walked over to the guard and slapped the guy on the top of the helmet, causing him to sit up immediately.

"W-wha?" The guard muttered before he saw Meleager standing in front of him with a cross look and immediately figured out that he was in deep shit. "P-prince Meleager! You're back!"

"Of course I'm back you twit." Meleager said with a harsh tone, causing the guard to sink back in his seat. "What are you doing sleeping on the job? You're supposed to be tallying on who comes in instead of dozing off while everyone else is doing their job."

"S-sorry..." The guard muttered as he regained his composure and eyed the three of them. "So I assume these three are going to help with the problem?"

"Duh. What else are they here for?" Meleager quipped sarcastically, causing the guard to blush in embarrassment. "I'm going to go to see father. Don't let me find you sleeping on the job again." Meleager began walking into the city, leaving the whimpering guard behind while the rest of them followed behind him silently.

The town was eerily depressing. No kids were playing outside, and all of the street vendors looked so depressed that it actually created a gloomy atmosphere.

"Geez... talk about depressing." Alex muttered as he looked around.

"Everyone's morale is low. I fear we won't be able to keep the townspeople together for much longer." Meleager said with a grim look. "If the three of you want to go and rest up somewhere, now's the time. I'm going to be talking with father and see if I can rally up any of the volunteers." Meleager walked away from them, heading towards the castle with a serious look. Leaving the three of them behind, they each gave each other a confused look.

"So... What do you guys want to do?" Alex asked as he looked around at the shops close by.

"Eat something?" Desmond offered.

"It doesn't feel right to eat considering the situation." Atalanta said as she watched some depressed looking children walk past them. Some of them looked like they hadn't eaten anything edible in weeks and were unhealthily skinny.

"I guess you're right..." Desmond muttered as he followed her line of sight. "Kinda feels like they're paying more than they really should. I mean, it's just one sacrifice that they had forgotten by mistake. I don't think it'd be right to starve them out over that."

Atalanta shrugged. "They must have caught her on one of her off days, but I completely agree. This seems a little bit too harsh."

"Well, the gods aren't known for showing that much mercy." Alex muttered as he looked around. It was quite saddening to see so many people suffering like this. It reminded him of one of those donation for starving kids in Africa where they would show a short video showing all the bad things going on. The only difference was that he was actually seeing one in person instead of looking at it through a TV screen.

He suddenly grunted in surprise as he felt something small bump into him. He looked down and found a small girl who looked like she was barely over ten, rubbing her head in a very cute manner as she tried to get over what had happened.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked with a small amused smile as the girl looked up at him with slightly scared eyes, causing him to chuckle a little bit. "Relax, I'm not angry."

"S-sorry giant person..." The little girl apologized with a cute bow of her head, causing Atalanta to let out a squeal that all women made when they saw something cute while Desmond laughed at the nickname the girl had blatantly given Alex even though he himself is a slight inch shorter than him.

"It's quite alright." Alex said as he gave the girl a pat on the head before he frowned. "Why are you out here all alone? Shouldn't your parents be with you?"

The girl pursed her lips. "Mama and Papa are at work so they left me behind at the house." The little girl said as she twiddled her thumbs nervously.

"So you decided to go and wander around alone? A little bit dangerous if you ask me."

"Oh leave her alone, alex." Atalanta said with a sigh.

"Yeah, the kid can do what she wants." Desmond said with a chuckle.

"A-actually, I only went out to get some food." The girl piqued with a cute stutter.

"Well, did you find anything to eat?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow. Receiving a shake of her head in response, he grunted. "Well, that's not okay. You're a growing girl, and you need to eat to stay healthy." He paused for a moment before he grinned as an idea came to him. "How about I give you some of mine?"

"A-ah... That's not neccessary. IT would be rude of me to simply eat your belongings..." The little girl muttered.

"Nonsense! Food is meant to be shared and eaten!" Alex said with a grin as he gently grabbed her hand. "Come with me. I'll show you the pinnacle of the culinary art that is my cooking!"

Desmond and Atalanta watched as he pulled the surprised girl over to a nearby pub while onlookers just sent them confused looks as they passed. Atalanta and Desmond looked at each other for a moment before shrugging.

"Let's follow him." Desmond said.

"Uh-huh."

In truth, Atalanta was quite excited. She had tasted several of Alex and Desmond's cooking on the Argo, and she wasn't going to go missing opportunities to have some more of their godly food.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Finally got the chapter pumped out. Just in time too, because I won't be able to update for a while. Spring break is around the corner and Ill be taking a cruise ship for vacation which unfortunately doesn't have free wifi (bummer).**

 **But don't worry! I will type out my chapters on my computer and release them once I'm back from my vacation.**

 **Have a great spring break!**

 **-baloshua**


	23. Olympus

See? Didn't I say this would be a good idea?" Alex said as he handed a plate of cheese sandwiches to a kid, who took it and ran off with a happy smile.

"It'd be better if we were actually making a buck off of this." Desmond muttered from another table with as he cleaned several sets of plates with a rag.

The little girl they had ran into earlier had shown them one of the nearby pubs that still had a working kitchen. The owner of said bar hadn't been getting much ingredients or helping hands because of the boar and was more than happy to let the two of them work in the kitchen when they asked.

Greek food usually consisted of bread and other various types of fruit. Of course, they'd always eat cows as well but it's quite rare considering cows were a major deal back then. To put it simply, a hundred cows were equal to a hundred Ferrari's or several wheelbarrows of money. The more you had, the richer your kingdom was. They were only killed for sacrifices or parties since they were apparently that valuable.

They had decided to start out small so they went with grilled cheese sandwiches first and see how the people liked it.

Judging by how the pub was quickly being filled and the happy expressions of joy on their faces, it was probably a wonderful success.

So they started pumping out so many cheese sandwiches that a line was starting to form outside that was as long as an entire street.

Some of the people had even started crying and had tried to offer them money, but they kindly refused saying that it wouldn't be right to ask them for pay, making them cry even harder.

The owner hadn't even cared that they weren't making any money. All he cared about right now was getting some good grub. And now, he was sitting here, in his own resturant, getting just that.

Of course, he had wondered where they were getting all this food from. But when he tried asking them, all he got was a shrug before another cheese sandwhich was stuffed in his face, making him forget all about his question.

Of course, Atalanta seemed to be enjoying this the most. In less than ten minutes, hundreds of plates had piled up near her table and she was letting out a sigh of enjoyment as she patted her stomach. Which, oddly enough, didn't seem to have grown at all. It made them wonder where their feline friend put all her food at.

"She's like a black hole." Desmond muttered as he threw another plate into the pile. "You'd think she'd be fat by now."

"Try saying that to her face." Alex said with a chuckle as he summoned another slab of cheese into his hand and began fitting it between another slab of breat.

"C'mon, I'm not that suicidal." Desmond grunted, admitting that even he probably wouldn't survive if he proclaimed that to her, even if he might get a kick out of it for a couple of seconds.

"Sure, sure." Alex said with amusement as he passed another sandwhich to a customer. "You'd think these people wouldn't react this much over a slab of cheese and bread, but this is way more than what I expected.

Desmond shrugged. "They're hungry. Did you see how much food the owner had in the storage room? The boar is starving them, man. And right now, anything that looks like food is going to end up in these people's mouths one way or another." He paused for a moment with a thoughtful look. "I wonder if they'd eat each other to survive…"

"Geez, dude." Alex muttered, astonished by Desmond's imagination. "What goes on in your head?"

"Ideas and thoughts." Desmond replied with a sly smile.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Alex said with a sigh. He had known Desmond for a really long time, but it always amazed him what kind of thoughts Desmond thinks to bring up. He wasn't a sadist, but he did tend to think dark thoughts when he got in an angry or riled up mood.

They spent the next couple of minutes handing out sandwhiches and glasses of milk before the bar began to thin out as the people left. Pretty soon, the pub was vacated with a huge mess left behind in its stead. Kind of like tornado touching down on the building.

Atalanta was tasked with cleaning the remainder of the dishes since she herself was the cause of most of them. She had subbornly refused at first, but the scales of justice were against her and so she conceded her defeat gracefully and went to scrubbing dishes.

Desmond had decided to go out and get some fresh air, claiming that the smell of the pub was clogging up his nose. Of course, it once again left Alex and Atalanta alone again like usual.

"You ate a lot." Alex commented idly as he fiddled with his spear and swords. "I'm not even sure I could have eaten that much."

Atalanta flushed red with embarrassment. "I was hungry! I hadn't eaten eaten any of your meals for a while and I sort of got carried away…"

Alex chuckled in amusement. "I'm just wondering where all that food goes. You eat so much yet you don't get bigger." He turned to her with a questionable look. "How do you do it, anyway?"

Atalanta shrugged. "I don't know. I just eat and burn it off later. Hunting does that to you."

Alex nodded, satisfied with the answer. "I see…" He continued to sharpen his Kiba swords with a rock. "So when do you think the hunt is going to begin?"

"I'm sure Meleager will come and tell us." Atalanta said as she plucked her bowstring, a habit that she did when she was bored. "But if the king had any common sense, he'd start the hunt now while there's still light. The boar might be huge, but it's still going to be hard tracking it at night."

"That's true for the average hunter." Alex said before a twinkle came to his eye. "But aren't you yourself one of the greatest hunters in Greece? I'm sure you can find it at any time. Day or night."

Atalanta blushed, and her cheeks puffed out with pride. "Of course! Such a task is simply childs play for me!" The huntress exclaimed with pride laced in her voice. "But I'd rather do this under much more favorable circumstances. Making things harder when it isn't neccessary is just too bothersome."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd like a good challenge?"

"Trying to kill the boar is hard enough. Making things harder will just make it even worse." Atalanta muttered. Sure, she liked being challenged from time to time. But, the prey she was facing right now was one of the most dangerous beasts she had encountered. She had killed many wild boars before, but this one was in an entirely different league.

"I see your point." Alex said with a nod of his head. "So any tips on where I should hit the boar?"

"Go for the legs." Atalanta said immediately. "Not much fat you'd have to go through. And it's a better target than… well… any other actually."

"But wouldn't that require me to get close to it?" Alex questioned. "I'm not too keen on letting it run me over."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much." Atalanta said with a wave of her hand. "Boars are fast and strong creatures, but they are usually easy to predict. Once it charges forward, it'll have have a hard time turning back around for another pass." She frowned for a moment. "Only thing to warn you about would be to stay out of its charges. Since it's a godly beast, I'd estimate that it'd be able to tear through trees in half with a single charge. It's just speculation, though. I'd just suggest attacking it from a distance to see what it does."

"seems like a game plan." Alex grunted. He was silent for a moment with an uncomfortable expression. "By the way… I want to ask you something important."

Atalanta looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

Alex cracked his knuckles and his leg bobbed up and down nervously. "Well… After this hunt is over and all. I was wondering if…"

"Wondering if…" Atalanta prompted, interested to hear what he had to say.

Alex took a second to calm himself before finishing his sentance. "I was wondering if you'd like to come to Colchis with me."

Atalanta stared at him for a couple of moments in surprise. "Colchis? You… want me to come with you to Colchis?"

Alex bit the bottom of his lips. "Yeah… I was going to ask you earlier. But I didn't find any time to tell you."

"What brought this up?" Atalanta asked with a curious expression.

"Well…" Alex began with an uncomfortable expression. "I… kinda wanted to hang out with you more. Even during this little trip of ours, I always enjoyed hanging out with you despite the situation." He looked down in embarrassment. "These kinds of friendships are rare, you know? I don't want to loose it because we live in two seperate kingdoms."

Atalanta was silent as she pondered on his words. In truth, she couldn't help but be touched by his honest words. On the argo, she didn't really consider the others as her 'friends' besides Heracles. They were more like Comrades whom she had developed a slight caring nature for.

Alex and Desmond were entirely different for her. On the argo, she had been slightly hesitant on talking or socializing with them. But in just a few short days, she couldn't help but open up to them. They didn't care that she was the only woman among them and they always treated her with kindness and respect, never prying into her personal affairs without her permission.

She didn't need to feel so serious or harsh whenever she was near them and she became slightly more carefree despite herself. They never judged her about it, and they always kept a personal eye out for her.

If this was any other men asking her this, she would have probably broken their spine in two and walk out the bar without a word. But she knew Alex enough to tell that he wasn't the type of person to do something like that. He just didn't want to loose his friendship with her because eventually, they would both have to part ways once the expedition was over.

She didn't want that to happen either. Alex and Desmond were her companions and friends, she didn't want the fun times between them to end.

The land of Colchis had already flourished under the Golden Fleece, so it would probably yield all sorts of hunting opportunities for her. And besides, it wasn't like she was tied down by one kingdom. Her father had abandoned her, and she didn't really live in one place for too long. Settling down in a place like Colchis didn't sound like such a bad idea.

She smiled. "I'd love to. Besides, it'd be boring not having to listen to Desmond every now and then."

Alex relaxed, and he let out the happiest smile she had ever seen on his face. "That's… Great." He chuckled. "I don't know why I was so nervous about this in the first place."

Atalanta laughed. "Probably because you know I'd kick your ass."

"Ha ha. I guess." The two of them joked around for a couple more minutes, making friendly talk when the door suddenly opened and Desmond strolled in with a look that was a mix of excitement and seriousness.

"Meleager's calling all of us to the square." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "The hunt is on."

* * *

Luke whistled the tune of 'Hey Brother' as he walked along a dirt path with Nuibari slung over his shoulder. Right now, he was just exploring the nearby country side while he was on his break.

King Aeetes was so happy with the inclusion of a new sacred grove, that he let them take the rest of the week off while he went to go and decorate the area where Hera's sacred grove would be.

Personally, Aeetes was probably afraid of reacting any other way because everyone knew that the queen of heaven had a mean strike a mile long. At least this way they had one of the most powerful gods at their beck and call.

Now Luke knew that the queen of olympus had a bad rep. But right now, he was too busy admiring his new immortal body as he walked. He had snacked on one of those golden apples that Kuro brought back and, per request, planted the seed in the ground before romping off to traverse the nearby kingdom.

Aeetes was initially against the idea of him going anywhere, but even he couldn't resist the power of the 'Puppy eyes no jutsu' and reluctantly let him go off on his own. Although, he made him promise that he would be back at a reasonable time.

Lots of people happened to be using the roads at this time, so he walked past many merchants selling their wares on his little travel. He'd stop at a few of them, but he never bought anything since nothing actually caught his eye.

Soon, the path he was taking had split off into a forest with abnormally tall trees. As he approached, he saw several women in important looking dresses walking towards him in a hurry.

Being the curious person, he decided to figure out what was going on.

"What's happening?" Luke asked one of the women as they walked past him.

"Oh… Hello there, young one." One of the woman said with a smile as she saw him, although he could tell something was bothering her. "You mustn't head down there. It isn't safe."

"It's not?" Luke asked with a frown. "Is there a monster or something?"

The lady shook her head. "A group of fifty men have ventured into those woods and are intending to harvest the trees here to build a palace for their leader." She shook her head in anger. "That grove is sacred to the goddess Dementer. Whatever harm they cause here will surely catch her divine attention. It is best that you don't get yourself mixed up in it."

Luke blinked at that. A sacred grove for Dementer? Out here? Well, there are a large amount of wheat fields nearby.

Even if the lady told him not to go, he was naturally curious. Besides, he might get to see some front row tickets to some divine justice at work.

"Thanks nice lady. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Luke said with a small bow, earning another giggle from the woman.

"You are just the cutest thing I've ever seen!" The woman said as she gave him a pat on the head. "If you intend to go through, just skirt around the forest, alright? Good bye!" And with that, the lady ran off to go join up with her group. Once she was out of sight, Luke did the exact opposite of what she told him to do and continued down the path into the forest.

"Well… she was nice." Luke commented to himself as he walked. "Too bad I didn't get her name."

He walked along the dirt path and gazed up at the trees around him. They were really tall to be any normal tree. Some of them were so tall that they matched the height of several guard towers that surrounded the kingdom.

He didn't understand why anybody would even bother with trying to cut down these trees. Not only would this just piss off a major goddess, the trees were simply too large to carry around once they were cut. It might take at least several donkeys and horses just to lift one of these things.

He switched tunes and began whistling the song of 'Old Yeller' when he heard the sound of male voices yelling up ahead.

"Must be those loggers she was talking about." Luke said to himself as he began skipping towards the action. "Guess i should see what they're doing~!"

Soon, he came across a clean cut clearing in the middle of the forest. True to the woman's words, there was a large group of fifty men standing in the clearing. The biggest dude in the front with the red double headed axe was clearly the leader. There wasn't anything exceptional about him except for the fact that he was ripped from the waist up.

His back was hunched over and he seemed to have an annoyed look on his face. When Luke squinted, he could see that he was staring at an old lady who was standing in front of him defiantly. From the looks of it, the two of them were having a rather heated conversation.

Channeling chakra to his ears, Luke began listening in.

"You should choose other trees." The old lady was saying. "This grove is sacred to Dementer, after all."

"Bah! These trees are the strongest in the land! I need them for my huge castle that i'm going to build." The man said with an annoyed tone. "Besides, I, Erisikhthon, can only use the finest of wood for such a job!" The men behind him roared in approval, banging their weapons together with savagery.

"But these trees are the homes for many dryads and nymphs." The old woman continued, seemingly unfazed by the men's show of force.

"If they try to stop me, I'll cut them down!" Erisikhthon said with a swing of his axe.

"And if Dementer tries to stop you?" The woman asked with a dangerous tone.

"Let her come. I'm not afraid of some dusty crop goddess. What is she going to do? Chuck bread at me until I go away?" The men all roared with laughter as Erisikhthon began marching for the nearest tree.

Now, Luke was smart enough to know where this little show was going. Obviously, that woman was a goddess. Old ladies don't magically show up in a grove like this unless they were a goddess of some kind. And considering whose magical grove they were in. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was.

True enough, the second Erisikhthon took a swing at the tree, an unseen force knocked him to the ground along with his men.

The old lady wasn't an old lady anymore. She began growing larger, and her appearances became younger until she appeared as a middle aged woman with brown hair and brown skin. In her right hand, a huge ass scythe appeared and casted a large shadow over the clearing. Pretty soon, she had become a magical giant, standing taller than any of the other trees.

"Fool!" The goddess' voice boomed. "Even after all that, you still decided to taint my holy ground?! Unforgivable!" The newly revealed Dementer boomed as she glared down at the men.

"I, uh, I just… uh." Erisikhthon stuttered as he stared up at the goddess. Luke watched in amusement as the goons screamed and ran off in different directions, forgetting all about their leader and leaving him behind to his fate.

"YOU WISHED FOR A FEAST, EH? YOU WILL RECEIVE ONE, JUST LIKE YOU WISHED FOR! AS THE GODDESS OF THE HARVEST, I SHALL CURSE YOU WITH UNSATISFYING HUNGER! YOU WILL EAT AND EAT, BUT YOU SHALL NEVER BE SATISFIED UNTIL HADES HIMSELF HAS FINALLY CLAIMED YOU!" Dementer proclaimed with authority. Erisikhthon, seeing that he was screwed, picked himself up and began running away while he spouted apologies and other excuses before he disappeared into the tree line.

Luke would have laughed out loud at the situation if Dementer suddenly hadn't turned her eyes on him.

"And you! Don't think you can get away with this by hiding! Come out!" Dementer called out with an annoyed look. Realizing that he had been caught, Luke grunted in annoyance.

"Oh well…" Luke muttered as he began walking towards the giant goddess with an easygoing smile on his face. "Hi there, uh… Lady Dementer!"

The goddesses' face contorted into surprise upon seeing him, and she quickly converted back down to human form for a much more easier conversation. Kind of hard to do that if you're a 100 foot giant.

"So a child has also trespassed upon my grounds as well?" Dementer mused as she studied him with a serious face. "Tell me, boy. What were you doing out here at this time of hour?"

Luke tried to make himself as cute as possible, so he put on a thoughtful expression. "Well, I was just travelling the countryside and thought this place would be a nice spot for me to rest for a while before I continued on."

Dementer stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Don't try to lie to me, boy. You're probably related to those men, weren't you?"

Luke frowned. "I don't look like any of those guys."

"The nearest town is far from here." Dementer said with narrow eyes. "A kid like you shouldn't be able to walk that far to come here."

Luke sighed. "Aren't you a goddess? Shouldn't you be able to tell when a person is lying?"

"I'm a goddess of farming, boy. I don't specialize in that stuff." Dementer said with a wave of her hand. She never really socialized much with mortals. Wheat and Barley were much better company and were much easier to understand than humans.

"Well, don't you know anybody that could solve this? I don't want you to turn me into a flower or something like that." Luke said, fidgeting a little bit.

"Oh? I'd think a flower would suit you better." Dementer said with an amused grin as she raised her finger at him.

"I'm serious…" Luke pouted, causing Dementer to sigh.

"Fine. I know somebody. But I doubt he'd be willing to listen." She extended her hand towards him. "Well? Grab my hand, kid."

Luke blinked for a moment before he humored the goddess. The second he grabbed her hand, the two of them disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Luke blinked in surprise when he found himself standing in a white marble hallway. He looked around and realized that he was in some sort of palace or castle.

"You should be honored." Dementer said as she held onto his hand. "Not many mortals could say they were in the halls of Olympus."

"Olympus?" Luke echoed, suddenly alert. "L-like the home of the gods?"

Dementer gave him an amused smile. "The very same."

"Why would you bring me here?" Luke asked with a tilt of his head before he remembered her previous words. "Wait… you want me to get judged by one of the other gods?"

Dementer shrugged. "It's a fool proof option."

"But wouldn't it be easier to just let me go?"

"It would have also been easier for me to just turn you into a daisy and walk away." Dementer said with a huff. "I cannot excuse evil, but I am also fair. I won't do anything to you until you give me a reason to do so or until Zeus passes his judgement over you. It's not like this is the first time he ever did this."

Luke would have pointed out that she let the human population starve to death because of her family issues, but he didn't want her to take back her kindness so he just kept quiet.

"So what happens now?" Luke asked.

"Now you get to meet the other gods." Dementer said with a smile as she began pulling his hand. "Mind your manners. My family doesn't do well with disrespect."

"That's an understatement." Luke thought as he let himself be pulled along by the grain goddess. The hallway had led straight out into a courtyard that looked even more majestic than the one in Colchis. Massive temples and trees dotted the courtyard and there were even a few wild animals that roamed the area freely.

Nymphs and other minor gods walked around the area and freely socialized with one another. As they walked past, some of them bowed their heads in respect to Dementer, but they all eyed Luke curiously. He couldn't really blame them. Mortals probably aren't a daily occurance in Olympus, and his sudden appearance must have been the most interesting thing here in quite some time.

Despite Olympus being located on a mountain in the myths, it was actually quite peaceful. The wind wasn't harsh, and it wasn't terribly cold either.

He was surprised that Dementer hadn't decided to confesticate Nuibari since it was very clearly a weapon, but he guessed she didn't think he'd actually try anything in the territory of twelve gods.

She wasn't wrong. But couldn't she had taken him a little bit more seriously? He could topple a pillar with a singe kick with his chakra, but he didn't know how they would react to that.

It was kind of embarrassing having all of the attention fixiated on him, but he simply smiled and waved to a couple of them. Which, of course, earned a bunch of 'awwws' and 'how cute!' from most of them.

Eventually, the two of them reached a giant golden door that was decorated with picture of gods and other random stuff that he couldn't describe. He wasn't very good at describing art in the first place, anyway.

"Are you ready to see lord Zeus, boy?" Dementer asked.

"He won't throw lightning bolts at me, right?" Luke asked with a frown, earning a chuckle from the goddess.

"Don't worry. He's not like that. Most of the time."

That did not make him feel any better at all.

Dementer pushed the doors open and led Luke inside. The room appeared to be the throne room of the gods if the decorated chairs were anything to go by. Each of them had a different theme to it, representing the domain of the god or goddess.

They were all situated side by side. Judging from his knowledge on which domains the gods and goddesses were, the men seemed to be on the right side while the women seemed to be on the left.

Over to the side was a giant fireplace. Although, the term the greeks used during this time was 'hearth'. A place where families usually came together to socialize when they had nothing better to do.

Kind of like his grandmas' house, really.

The entire room was way nicer than any other room in King Aeetes' castle. It wasn't really much of a surprise. This was where the gods did live, after all.

Suddenly, a young male voice rang out. "Hey! It's Dementer! Who's the runt?"

Luke would have complained about being called a runt, but he held his tongue. He turned towards the sound of the voice and saw a young man with golden hair and a bright smile walking towards them. For a moment, he thought that it was Zeus, but he looked way less serious than what a thunder god should act.

Dementer sighed when she saw him. "Hello there, nephew. Lounging about like your usual self?"

"You know me so well, don't you?" The man said with a carefree grin, not caring about her annoyance. "Plus, you didn't answer my question. Who's the little runt?"

Luke was starting to wonder if he should gather his chakra and beat this man into submission. God or not, he was really starting to hate being called a runt.

Dementer looked down and raised an eyebrow at him, inviting him to introduce himself. With an inward sigh, he did just that.

"My name is luke." Luke said with a tilt of his head before he decided to make a jab at this guy. "And you're not Zeus. You don't look strong enough to be him."

A twinge of annoyance passed the man's face and a small amused smile tugged at Dementer's lips as she stifled a laugh at the man's expense.

"Oy." The man said with his hands on his hips. "Just because I'm not dad doesn't mean I can't toss you around like a toy."

Luke turned to Dementer, completely ignoring the man's threat. "is this guy supposed to be Apollo?"

"Sadly, yes." Dementer said.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'sadly'?" Apollo cried out with fake hurt. "Don't listen to her, kid. I'm the best thing that has happened to this family since Hephaestus invented our thrones! I'm just that awesome!"

Dementer just sighed again. "look, Apollo. Where's your dad at? I need to speak with him so I can decide the fate of young Luke over here."

Apollo sighed, miffed that he was being shoved over to the side. "He went out to oversee some stuff. I don't know where he is exactly."

"You're so helpful, nephew." Dementer said sarcastically.

"Thanks. I agree too." Apollo said with a satisfied nod.

Dementer facepalmed. "Whatever. I'll find him myself. In the meantime, make yourself useful and look over Luke while I do so. Don't cause too much trouble you two." With that, Dementer let go of Luke's hand and exited the room down another hallway, leaving Luke and the god of medicine alone.

The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before Apollo decided to break the ice.

"So why did she bring you here? Didn't give her an appropriate sacrifice? Didn't clean the corner of her temple?"

"She thought I got involved with the wrong people." Luke said with a shrug. "She won't believe me when I tell her I just came at the wrong time."

"Eh, you're not the first one. Although, you're lucky she didn't decide to blast you on the spot. She's fairer than the rest of us, but she does distribute some mean punishments when she gets angry." Apollo said with a wink. "Want to know a few?"

"No thanks." Luke declined, though he leaned away from the disturbing god. "So don't you have anywhere to be?"

Apollo frowned, before his eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! I was supposed to go and meet up with my sister later for some sibling bonding time." He winced. "Ah, man. She's gonna be mad if I'm late again."

Luke cocked his head. "Sibling bonding time?"

He shrugged. "Hera's always bugging us about that. 'You two need to hang out more!' 'Both of you need to learn how to get along with each other!'" Apollo sighed. "It's annoying so we just go along with it so she would stop nagging us about it."

"Sibling…?" Luke thought about that for a moment. "You mean Artemis?"

"That's the one." Apollo said with a nod. "Hey, listen kid. You wouldn't mind if I dragged you around for a bit, right? I know dementer asked me to keep an eye on you, but I'm more afraid of my sister."

Luke facepalmed at that, but decided to play along out of pty for the poor guy.

"Alright, fine." Luke grumbled. Apollo grinned and grabbed Luke's hand before dragging him off towards the courtyard.

"Great answer, kid! Don't worry, you're gonna love my sister!" Apollo said cheerfully as he dragged Luke behind him.

Luke didn't say anything, and simply let himself get dragged off. Although, he wondered if this was a safe decision he made.


	24. Competative spirit

Alex rubbed his forehead in annoyance as he watched several groups of men shout insults at Atalanta in the middle of the square. Normally, he would had gotten angry and smacked the men around with a few chakra punches so they would shut up, but Atalanta beat him to it.

"How would YOU be of any help to us? Hunting? Bah! That's a man's job!" One of the men shouted.

"Then pack your shit up and leave! I don't see any men amongst you!" Atalanta spat back with unrestrained fury, making some of the men back up a little bit in fear.

Alex couldn't blame them. Atalanta may have been a woman, but she was the equivalent of fifty men rolled into one and had the attitude of a wild lion.

Plus, her name meant 'Equal in weight'. Fitting, since she was equal to or better than most male heroes.

Atalanta wasn't the only one also loosing patience. Some of the men had turned on Alex and Desmond when they realized that they were the ones who brought her here. Alex just ignored them and continued watching Atalanta spit trash, but Desmond was a different story.

In the span of five minutes, Desmond had sent 11 members of the excursion to the hospital after they continued to annoy him with insults. Several of them had severely broken jaws after Desmond delivered them a chakra enhanced bitch slap to the face. For those that really got on his nerves…

Let's just say they'd need a helping hand from time to time.

"Everyone!" Meleager yelled with a bang of his spear to get everyone's attention. "I don't care whether or not you have a problem with a woman being amongst us. If we don't work together, we shall fail to kill the boar!"

"We don't need a woman here to help us do that!" One man shouted.

"Yeah! We can do this ourselves!" Another one yelled in agreement.

"If she comes with us, let her go in first! Perhaps she may make a fine distraction!" All of the men laughed and pushed each other around like that was the funniest joke they had ever heard.

Atalanta growled, and looked like she was about to go around shooting arrows, but Alex quickly put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze.

"Don't." Alex whispered gently. "It's not worth it."

"Just let me shoot one arrow." Atalanta said through gritted teeth. "I'll take their heads off and let them see who they are dealing with."

Alex smiled sadly. "Prove you're better than them by killing the boar. Be the better person and prove them wrong later."

Atalanta was silent for a moment before she sighed and shouldered her bow. "Fine. My victory won't be fun if no one is here to see it."

"That's right." Alex said with an amused smile. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Enough!" Meleager roared with another pound of his weapon. "I see that you won't be satisfied, but I'm not kicking her out of this expedition! Besides…" Meleager's eyes took on a mischevious grin. "We'll do a little competition to see whose the best hunter.

THAT got everyone's attention. Everyone leaned forward to hear what kind of competition Meleager had in mind.

Hook. Line. And Stinker

"Whoever manages to draw the first blood from the boar will be rewarded!" Meleager announced with a nod of his head, as if he was proud of such an idea. "They will be rewarded with the boar's hide to show that they are the best hunter or huntress in the land!"

The men licked their lips at the idea. Proving a girl whose boss and taking a trophy over such a beast was too much to resist for these men.

"I guess she could come along…"

"As long as she doesn't get in the way."

Meleager nodded, satisfied. "Very well! Gather your belongings and meet me at the gate! From there, we shall go out and vanquish the beast that has troubled our land!" A cheer went up from the group and the men all fanned out to go and grab their stuff.

Meleager wiped the sweat off his face and gave Atalanta an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Offering a bet seemed like the only way to convince them."

Atalanta shrugged. "I'm not mad. In fact, I'm quite satisfied." The huntress had a hungry look in her eyes that made the three males shiver. "This will give me the best way to humiliate those fools. That boar hide is going to be MINE."

"Geez, little sister." Desmond muttered. "You're really angry today, huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Atalanta said with a grin. She shouldered her bow along with her quiver of arrows before grabbing Alex's hand and pulling him along. "Come on! Let's hurry up and get this hunt started!"

"Ow! Watch the wrist. The wrist!" Alex yelped as he felt himself being dragged along against his will while Desmond and Meleager watched them go with a raised eyebrow.

"Geez, you just had to go and enflame her competative spirit, huh?" Desmond said with a sigh as he shot Meleager a look.

The prince just shrugged. "Like I said, I couldn't think of anything else. Besides, with her this determined, she could probably settle this entire mess in record time. I'd say that's a good thing."

"Whatever." Desmond said with a shrug. "Now… where did I leave my stash of human arms at?"

Meleager raised an eyebrow. "You have a stash of human arms lying around with you?"

"Yeah. I think they can be used as good bait. Can't leave fresh meat to waste, right?" Desmond said casually as he looked underneath a nearby table.

"Where did you even get them?" Meleager asked with a frown.

Desmond grinned. "I had some… eager volunteers.

*Colorful Flash Back.*

"Call my little sister a whore, will you?!" Desmond yelled angrily as he summoned a truth seeking ball into his hand and stared at the group of men in front of him. "Nobody is going to do that on my watch!"

"We're sorry!" One of the men cried out as the group began backing away, obviously sensing the danger that Desmond's expression had. "W-we won't do it again!"

"I know you won't." Desmond agreed with a nod of his head. "Because I'll make sure of it!"

The group of men let out high pitched screams as the truth seeking ball launched towards them like a massive bullet.

Cries of 'my arm!' and 'my leg!' rang throughout the dark alleyway. Luckily, Desmond had set up some fuinjutsu seals to minimize the amount of screaming. It worked well for a first attempt, and the rest of the townspeople continued on with their daily duties without a clue on what just went down.

*Flashback end*

"They were very generous." Desmond said with a nod. "Didn't complain that much."

Meleager decided that from then on, he wasn't going to go into what Desmond did in his past time. The dude was too damn scary.

* * *

Apollo whistled cheerfully as he led Luke down another hallway. Luke would have ditched the god and explore another part of Olympus, but the thought of seeing Artemis drew his curiousity.

Apparently each of the gods had their own personal space on Olympus that kind of acted like their room. Apollo's was pretty bright considering that it was all made out of gold which made it hard not to squint.

"So… What's Artemis like?" Luke asked as they went through another set of doors.

"Arty? She's very serious when it comes to men. Doesn't give any of them the time of day." Apollo said with an amused smile. "Must be torture for men who see her. She used to have the biggest collection of knockers I've ever seen, but that was a long time ago."

"Eh?" Luke said with surprise. He'd seen Artemis and Orion's artwork for Fate/Grand Order and knew that to be true, but he had said that was a long time ago. "Why did that change?"

Apollo shrugged. "Said it got in the way of her archery. Total lie, though. She's just mad because that was that was the form she took when she used to be with Orion."

"Orion?" Luke asked, feining stupidity. "Who was that? Someone important to her?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Apollo said with a nod. "You know how my sister is a virgin goddess, right?" Receiving a nod, Apollo continued. "Well, she nearly came close to breaking that oath when she came across Orion. Dude was pretty gifted with a bow, equaling both me and my sister."

"Wow." Luke said with a nod like he was hearing all this for the first time. "So what happened?"

Apollo frowned. "Well, she found herself getting attracted to him despite her status. I couldn't let that happened, so I tricked her into killing him so she wouldn't break her oath in front of her followers. She's still pretty pissed off at me about it."

Luke didn't understand how the god could say this casually, but he guessed all gods acted like this.

"Geez, women."

"I know right?" Apollo said with a nod. "Anyway. That's part of the reason why me and sis have these little sessions. She's calmed down about it now, but she still hates me for it."

"I wonder why." Luke thought sarcastically. "So where is she at? We've been walking for quite a while."

"Well, wonder no more! We have finally made it." Apollo said with his trademark grin. He pushed open another set of doors and light instantly flooded Luke's eyes. When the light died down, Luke's voice died in his throat.

"Welcome to sis' room." Apollo said with a dramatic sweep of is hand, showcasing it off. "Well? Whaddya think?"

It wasn't so much as a room as it is a garden. There were beautiful trees sprouting everywhere, and small streams crossing the area. Small chipmunks scurried around the trees and the sound of chirping birds filled the air. Packs of stags and deer curled up underneath trees and there were even a few wild boars grazing in the grass.

"It's very in tuned with nature." Luke answered as he watched a stag walk past him.

"She's the goddess of hunting, so that's kind of her thing." Apollo said with a wave of her hand. "She'd always come back with a new animal everytime she visits. Keeps them up in here as her pets."

"You mean she isn't always here?"

Apollo shrugged. "Most of the gods usually like to spend their time in the mortal world. It's quite rare when all of the gods are convened in one place unless it's for a meeting or something like that. Me? I don't go out much. I like to stay here and practice my awesome music talent."

He pulled a harp out of nowhere and strummed a cord. Immediately, all the wild animals bolted away as Apollo began to play.

Luke couldn't blame them.

The sound the harp made was absolutely horrible. It sounded like someone was torturing a cat and it was absolutely grating to the ears. Luke didn't show any outward reaction, but he was inwardly cringing as the sound vibrate his ear drums.

His sudden need to strangle the god was rising by the second, but he refrained from doing so. He was in enough trouble already, and he couldn't afford any more. But gosh darn it, he really wanted to sic him.

After a few seconds, (Which felt like eternity) Apollo finally stopped playing the horrid music and lowered the harp. He turned to Luke with an expectant grin.

"Well? What did you think of my awesome music? Top of the line, huh?"

Luke stared at him for a couple seconds as he contemplated on how to answer the question. Eventually, he put his hands up. "It was…"

Apollo leaned in expectantly to hear the praise that would come out of the kids mouth. After all, he was the god of music! He was sure the kid loved it. Who wouldn't?

"...Ok." Luke finished, causing Apollo to frown.

"Ok? You thought my awesome music was ok? Not awesome or godly?" Apollo asked with a slight sniff at his hurt pride.

"To be honest, I've played better." Luke said with a deadpan.

"Impossible!" Apollo said as he seized luke up. "Nobody is better at making music that I! Well, except for Orpheus, but he was one of my handmaids' kid! He was an exception!"

Suddenly, a female voice interupted their conversation. "The mortal tells the truth. Your music is neither godly or awesome."

Luke and Apollo turned and saw a woman about Apollo's age standing underneath a nearby tree. She had silver hair in contrast to Apollo's golden hair, and had a much more serious demeanor. The animals slowly came back into view upon her arrival, and some of them nuzzled up against her as if they were expecting to be pet.

Her dress was also pure white with a minor tint of red along the edges. Apollo was also apparently not lying about her boob size. They were nothing like her profile pic in Fate/Grand Order, where they were impossibly large.

She turned to Luke and offered him a small smile. "Hello there, young one. I hope my brother hasn't been burdening you with his insuferable nature."

"Hey! I don't have an insuferable nature! I have an awesome one!" Apollo said as he struck a pose, earning more sighs from the goddess.

"Same as usual." The woman muttered with a shake of her head before she addressed Luke again. "I'm Apollo's sister, Artemis. No peaking, and we should get along just fine."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Luke muttered.

"So, sis. What were you planning to do? Target shooting? Monster hunting? Or maybe you'll let me hang out with your hunters?" Apollo asked with a grin.

"For the last time, brother. You're not allowed to touch, flirt, or even look at my hunters with that kind of face." Artemis said with a scowl. "And put down your harp, you're scaring all the creatures away!"

"What? My harp? Pfft!" Apollo snorted. "There's no problem with it. They love my song!"

"No, they don't. They're horrified of it!" Artemis said with a cross of her hands. "Honestly, everytime you play it, half of my pets disappear! This boy could probably play the harpe better than you can!"

"uh…" Luke mutered as he watched the two siblings argue.

"Impossible!" Apollo exclaimed with a proud look. "Watch! I bet the kid doesn't even know how to play a harp!" He turned towards luke and shoved the harpe in his hands. "Go on. Make a tune!"

Luke stared at him in amazement before he shook his head. "Well, I think I'll pass."

"What? You scared?" Apollo teased as he took the harp back.

"No. I have another instrument I play, but it's not here." Luke said with his hands innocently behind his back. He had played the harp before, but he could never get used to it. However, there was another instrument that he found he had a particular talent with.

"Another instrument?" Apollo questioned. "Reed Pipes?"

Luke frowned. "No. I don't think you've ever heard or seen it before."

"Impossible!" Again, he really loved to say that word. "There is no instrument I have not seen or heard before. Bring it out so that I may see and determine what it is!"

Luke shrugged. "Ok."

Artemis watched Luke as he turned around and held his hands close to him. She examined his strange cloak and suddenly felt like she knew him from somewhere. Somewhere in her recent memory. His face also brought up memories in her head, but she couldn't figure out what she he reminded her of.

"Ta da!" Luke suddenly cried out as he turned around with a strange wooden object in his hands. "I call it, the guitar!"

The twins leaned in forward to get a better look at the object. It was made out wood and looked more like a club than an instrument. There were several thin wires going from the top of the object to the bottom that reminded them of a harp, albeit with fewer strings.

Artemis turned to her brother and smirked at the expression he was wearing. "Well? Do you recognize it, brother?"

"...No." Apollo grumbled as he examined the instrument. "What is it that you carry, Luke?"

"An invention of my own!" Luke said proudly before he frowned. "Actually… not exactly. It's called the guitar if you are wondering."

"Gu-i-tar?" The siblings said out loud, sounding it out carefully as if they were testing how it sounded coming from them.

"Yeah! It's like a harp, but better!" Luke said as he held it against his arm.

Apollo scowled. "How can that be better than a harp?"

"Listen." Luke said simply as he took out a guitar chip from his pocket and strummed a single chord that resonated through the entire room. Apollo and Artems looked stunned, and some of the animals perked up their heads to listen instead of running away.

He inwardly smirked at their reaction. One upping a god was one of the things he could cross off his bucket list. He launched into several acoustic versions of different songs and worked his magic. Apollo and Artemis looked like they were in a daze, and the animals seemed to crowd around him as he played his song.

His guitar wasn't anything fancy. Just a simple wood guitar. In the 21st century, his playing skills would have been considered normal. Here, it was completely different. Nobody had heard a sound like his, and it was alien to them. It didn't help that he was using chakra to enhance his fingers to play better.

Once he finished playing a guitar solo of 'Stairway to Heaven', he put the guitar down and stared at Apollo with a blank look to hide the amusement he was currently feeling.

"So what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" Luke asked as he strummed another chord.

"hubabababa…" Apollo babbled in response.

"It was… Amazing." Artemis said with an impressed look. "I've never heard of such music before. Not even from the 9 Muses. You're a very gifted mortal."

Luke blushed a little bit. "Well… I'm not exactly mortal."

Artemis frowned at that before she actually focused in on him. Indeed, his aura wasn't that of a mortal or nymph, but one of an immortal.

"Ah… You're just like us." Artemis said with a nod. "How come I haven't heard of you? I always keep track on these kinds of things."

"Well, I did just become one yesterday. I had to eat a golden apple, though." Luke said, causing the twins eyes to widen in surprise.

"You ate Hera's golden apple?" Apollo asked, although his tone sounded like a strangled chicken. "How?! How did you manage to do that?!"

Luke frowned. "Kuro got Hera's permission to plant a golden apple tree in Colchis. He didn't really tell me much of the details."

"Kuro?" Artemis echoed with a frown before her eyes widened. "Brother, didn't Athena and Poseidon say something about a mortal named Kuro taming Medusa or something like that?"

Apollo frowned, and put his hand under his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah… Now that you mention it, they both said something like that."

"He wears a cloak like mine. You'd recognize him instantly." Luke said as he pinched his Akatsuki cloak. "There are also three others like me: Jin, Desmond, and Alex. We all make up the kings personal guard."

At the mention of Alex, Artemis' eyes narrowed. "Alex… He wouldn't happen to be away, would he?"

Luke blinked. "My brother? Ah, yeah. He has been gone for a while now. We're not worried. He knows how to take care of himself, and he'd usually give us a call once in a while."

Artemis frowned at that. The young man who has become her champions closest companion was this young boy's brother?

Now that she looked closely at him, she could see some of the similarities. His eye and hair color was the same, but he was a couple inches shorter and had lighter skin than his brother. His choice of weapon was also rather different. It looked like a sewing needle, but the blade was sharpened to be used as a cutting and piercing weapon. A very odd design.

"So what's the deal with you and my brother?" Luke asked as he plucked another chord, earning drooling looks from Apollo as he eyed the instrument. "He in trouble or something?"

"That depends." Artemis said vaguely. She turned to look at Apollo, who was STILL drooling over the instrument. "Brother, close your mouth. You're getting drool everywhere."

Seeing his look, Luke smirked. "Do you want my guitar?"

"yes!" Apollo nodded rapidly like a dog, making Artemis sigh at how low he was willing to make himself to get what he wants.

Luke sighed sorrowfully. "A shame. I don't think I can part with such a priceless treasure. I don't think I can just GIVE it to you unless you GIVE me something. Oh well, I'll just keep it for myself then."

"W-wait!" Apollo cried out. "I can give you anything you want! Name it, and I'll give it to you. I need that wonderful instrument!"

"What do you have?" Luke asked, smirking inwardly. Artemis just sighed, already knowing where this was going.

"I-I have this cool bow that I'm not using! It sort of just takes up room, but I don't exactly need it anymore!"

"Eh? Anything special about the bow?" Luke asked, his interest piqued.

"It fires special arrows made directly out of energy!" Apollo said with pride. "It doesn't require the use of normal arrows. Just pull back on the bowstring and the arrow will manifest by itself!" He leaned in and whispered. "Also… I modified it to allow for 10 shots to be fired with a single pull of the string. Don't tell dad, though. He hates it when I modify my weapons.

"Why is that?" Luke asked with a frown.

"Got out of control once. Anyway, you got a deal?"

Luke was no archer. He couldn't shoot an arrow straight even when the wind was still. He was just that terrible. Plus, archery wasn't his style. Too much waiting and standing still for his tastes.

Still, it was pretty amusing to watch the god be willing to sell anything for such a crappy guitar. Seriously, the strings weren't even tuned right!

He shook his head and shrugged. "I'm just messing with you. Keep your weapon. I'm not even that good of an archer."

Apollo frowned. "Are you sure? Limited time only. I have other bows to play with anyway, you know? It's not like giving one away would do anything bad."

Luke shrugged. "Look, just think of it like an offering. I don't really expect you to give me anything in return."

Apollo seemed hesitant, and Artemis sighed. "Just take it, brother. If he doesn't want anything, don't give him anything. It's not hard."

Apollo sighed. "Alright. Still, this seems like a dick move. You sure you don't want anything kid? I could always pull in a favor if you want."

Luke shook his head. "Nah. It's cool. Although, a favor from time to time wouldn't be so bad." He held out the guitar towards Apollo.

The music god took it with a smile. "Excellent! I'll be right back after I throw this in my room" He strummed the chord and made a sound that sounded like a squeaky mouse. "Hm… Hard, but I'm sure I'll get used to it." With that, Apollo disappeared from the room in a bright flash.

"You sure know how to wrap people around your finger." Artemis commented.

"Eh, I wouldn't pass up such a chance." Luke said. "I'm not an archer, but I'm sure someone else could find better use out of it."

"You are quite charitable, aren't you?"

Luke shrugged. "If you'd like to think of me like that then go ahead." He regarded her with uncomfortable eyes, making her smirk.

"What? Do I make you uncomfortable?" Artemis teased as she pinched his cheeks. Luke pouted, and pulled himself away.

"You're an adult." Luke said simply.

Artemis chuckled before she snapped her fingers. Slowly, her form became smaller before she was about his size. Which, needless to say, was about 5'5.

"Does this form suit you better?" Artemis asked.

Luke smiled. "Yep! Makes you much easier to talk to."

Artemis smiled at him. By the stars, he was just too cute! Honestly, it should be a crime for a young boy like him to be blessed with such looks. She held out her hand and grasped his before pulling him into the hallway.

"Come on. My brother didn't show you everything, right? I'll do it for him. He can find us when he's done figuring out where he should place his new toy."

Luke blinked a bit before shrugging and resigining himself to his fate. No doubt she would get angry and lob arrows at him if he tried to decline her offer.

Besides, it's not like he could just break out of her grip. It was like being caught in a vice.

A vice he couldn't break no matter how hard he tried.

* * *

"Where do you think Luke is?" Medusa asked with worry as she sat with Kuro in the newly formed garden of Hera.

"Beats me. Luke goes wherever he wants whenever he wants. Nobody can really tell him not to do something and expect him to listen." Kuro said with an amused smile.

"What if something happened to him?" Medusa wondered. Next to Chrysaor and Absyrtus, Luke was the child who caught her attention. She dotted on him like an older sister, and would constantly give him piggy back rides even though he was just a few inches shorter than her.

"Don't worry about it." Kuro said with a wave of his hand. "There's a reason why he's part of Aeetes' personal guard."

Medusa scowled. "I don't understand why he'd let Luke wander around by himself. I don't care how strong he is. Luke's still a young boy!"

"Well… I could try sensing where he is." Kuro offered.

"Then why haven't you done so?" Medusa asked as she narrowed her eyes at him. Kuro chuckled sheepishly before he closed his eyes to concentrate.

Luke had a special fuinjutsu seal located in the inside of his cloak that was used as a tracking device. While Kuro could expand his sense pretty far, he couldn't cover the entirety of Greece to search for him. It would require discerning Luke's chakra signature from the rest of the humans, which was impossible considering the number.

The seal allowed him to pick up on Luke's own chakra signature wherever he was at and isolate it from the others, making it easy to track.

He suddenly frowned when he got a lock on Luke's location. Odd. Why was it on the other end of Greece? And why was it so high up?

"Er, Medusa?" Kuro asked with his eyes still closed. "Do you know any place on the other side of Greece that would be really high up? Like, cloud high?"

Medusa frowned. "Etna? That mountain seems tall enough."

"Anywhere else? I don't see any reason why Luke would run all the way to Etna just to see a mountain." If he recalled correctly, Etna was the place where the monster Typhone was trapped. In the original myth, Typhone was a huge ass monster that absolutely trashed the olympians with ease. Zeus only managed to beat it through the use of trickery and even that was barely enough to win.

In the nasuverse, not much was said about it besides the fact that it could be compared more to several thousand nuclear power generators, leaking magical energy so strong that it could affect the surrounding area.

Luke wouldn't go to a place like that. A giant magical monster that could defeat a god? Definitely a place he was steering clear from.

Suddenly, he blinked as realization dawned on him. "Olympus."

Medusa stared at him for a moment before she shot up and cursed. "I'll get Pegasus!" She disappeared around the corner and nearly bumped into Medea and jin, whom were turning at the exact same time.

"What's up with her?" Jin asked as he watched medusa run off.

Medea narrowed her eyes. "You didn't do anything to her, did you?"

Kuro froze. "No!" He paused and continued in a calmer tone. "No. We just have a problem on our hands. It's concerning Luke."

Medea's eyes suddenly turned his blood cold. "Care to explain?"

Kuro gulped. "On the way."

At least this way he'd escape her anger for a couple more minutes. Then again, being chucked off of a flying horse didn't appeal to him either.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Finally managed to get two chapters uploaded! Currently, I'm in Costa Rica on an excursion off of the cruise ship. Found a coffee shop that had actual wifi, so I figured I could upload now.**

 **Polymon: hey, thanks man. It means a lot to hear that from ya. Hope you continue to read my story! :)**


	25. Marshmallows are the key to everything

"Any sign of the boar?" Alex whispered to Atalanta as they trudged through the marsh.

"The trails lead out here." Atlanta said with a frown as she pointed towards a large imprint that was left in the muddy water. It was at least five feet wide, and it definitely wasn't made from some random animal. "The marsh is covering up the tracks too quickly. If we don't move fast enough, we may never catch up to it."

"You'd think something this huge wouldn't be hard to find." Desmond commented as he kept his swords out in front of him. His left sword dipped dangerously with acid and his right sword crackled with electricity. "Do you think it's waiting for us?"

"I doubt it's smart enough to do that." Atalanta said, but she didn't sound so sure.

The four of them trudged behind the rest of the men. Mostly because Atalanta wasn't welcome among them and Alex and Desmond didn't want to leave her behind by herself. Meleager remained up at the front, trying to keep everything together and track the boar at the same time.

The men were unruly, and openly disapproved of Atalanta's presence, but they didn't seem to care about her anymore. Probably because they were more interested with trying to find the boar and draw the first blood so they could get their hands on the boar skin.

Alex grunted in annoyance as he continued to trudge through the swamp. He usually didn't mind getting dirty, but the marshy water was annoying. It kept clinging to his robes and made it hard to walk, nearly making him trip several times.

They had only began their little hunt around five hours ago, and they weren't making that much progress. They've been following the same patch of foot prints and yet there had been no physical sign of the boar.

At this point, most of of the men's attention began to wander out of sheer boredom. Who could blame them? They had been expecting an all out death match between a monster pig and them. Instead, they had gotten nothing but hours of mosquitos and sloppy marsh water.

So when the boar struck, none of them were prepared.

The boar charged straight through the trees without any warning, catching the hunting trope off guard. You'd think that such a ferocious animal would have given a clear warning that it was coming, but it had made no noise. Almost as if it had just appeared out of thin air.

It was massive and matched the description that most of the townspeople gave it. Huge blood red eyes, massive white tusks that were longer than an elephant, and a gaping maw that reeked of… well… whatever pigs ate.

Meleager, being a well trained hero, immediately dove to the right as the boar charged at them. The rest of the men, however, were not so lucky. The boar trampled several hunters, impaled two on its tusks, and headbutted another five into the trees. In the span of six seconds, most of the hunters were either dead, seriously injured, or way too disorganized to even fight back.

Alex, Desmond, and Atalanta jumped up into the trees just as the boar made an attempt to steamroll them. The boar charged past with so much force, that it managed to conjur up a cone of wind that blew away those that had managed to dive out of the boars path.

"Holy shit!" Desmond cursed as he watched the boar smash a tree with its head as it attempted to headbutt another hunter. "How the hell do we stop this thing?!"

Atalanta turned to Alex with a calm look. "You remember what I told you, right?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to need an opening, though. Do you think you could give me that?"

Atalanta nodded before her face softened. "Don't get yourself killed out there." She turned to Desmond and gave a strict look. "And you better watch over him, okay?"

Desmond raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll make sure he doesn't get trampled by porky over there."

"Good." And with that, the huntress jumped off to get another vantage point from another tree.

"So what's the game plan?" Desmond asked after she left.

"We're the bait." Alex said simply. He pointed at the boar with his spear. "You take left and I'll take the right?"

"Sure. I don't know any other ideas."

The pair jumped into action and pushed chakra to their feet, before landing on atop the marshy water. The pig bellowed when it saw them, and charged forward to trample them. As planned, Desmond vaulted left and Alex vaulted right. But the boar seemed to have anticipated this and skidded to a stop before it turned and charged towards desmond.

Desmond looked behind him and cursed as he ran. He sliced a tree in half and watched as it toppled into the boars path. Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing to help as the boar simply charged through it without breaking stride.

Several hunters were regaining their composure and fighting back, but it was obvious that they were still terrified. One hunter threw his spear with such force that it traveled nearly as fast as a bullet, but did nothing more than deflect off of the boars tough hide and impale itself in a nearby tree. Another hunter also threw his spear, but it went wide and imapled itself into another unfortunate hunter.

Desmond would have yelled 'TEAM KILLER!" and laugh like an asshole because he simply didn't like them, but he had bigger things to worry about. Namely, the one-hundred ton demon pig that was about to flatten him.

He turned around and ran towards the boar as he channeled chakra into his fist. He dodged paast the boars tusks and gave a yell as he smashed his fist into the boar's face, releasing the chakra into a burst of raw power that sent the boar flying through the air with a surprised squeal while it flailed its feet uselessly. It landed on its side and began squirming furiously, kicking up small waves and sending hunters screaming as they were carried away by the waves.

Despite that, the boar managed to get up with a shake of its head before it directed its red eyes back at him. This time with much more anger and primal rage than before. It opened its jaw and the air suddenly smelled of ozone.

Desmond blinked a bit. Was the boar going to breathe something at him? That was impossible, right? Boars don't breath fire. Only dragons and some serphents do that. He certainly never heard of a boar spitting fire or acid.

He soon got an answer in the form of lightning. A torrent of electricity shot out of the boars mouth in an arc, zapping everything in its path. Desmond yelped, and disappeared in a burst of speed as the lightning struck the area he was in.

He appeared on a nearby branch and exhaled slowly. He suddenly tensed when the boar looked up at him and began opening its mouth for another blast of lightning when several wood structures that resembled snakes burst out of the water and sink their teeth into the boar, throwing it off balance as it launched its second blast of lightning. The electrict current shot past him, but it still made his hair stand on end.

He looked to the side and found Alex standing on a nearby branch with his hands clasped together as he utilized earth and water chakra to produce wood style jutsu. His face was strained with concentration as he attempted to keep the constructs together as the boar struggled and squealed against them.

"Anytime, Atalanta!" Alex called out as the boar shook off two more wooden constructs. Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the wind and several groups of arrows flew through the air and stuck into the boar before exploding in a spectacular blue fireball.

"REEEEEEEET!" The boar squealed in pain as it felt the arrows penetrate its thick hide.

For a moment, everyone relaxed as they watched the boar fall. But much to their surprise, the beast snarled and managed to push itself up despite the amount of arrows sticking out of it.

Atalanta clicked her tongue in annoyance as she prepared another volley of arrows. The amount of arrows she used were enough to kill five regular boars with ease. The fact that this boar is even able to stand up is amazing. Although, she shouldn't have expected anything less from an animal of Artemis.

She took a deep breath. This last volley should do it. The boar wouldn't survive the next attack. If it did, it shouldn't have enough strength to stand. Much less attack them or run away.

Plus, she didn't have to worry about killing anyone in the crossfire. All of the other hunters had run away during the chaos, apparently valuing their pride and lives over a coat of boar fur. Absolutely pathetic.

Just as she was about to let the arrow fly, a sudden fast movement caught her attention. It wasn't Alex or Desmond because they were still clearly catching their breath. in their respective spot. It was also definitely not one of the hunters. From what she had seen, none of them were anything special. Meleager was the only one who hadn't ran, but even he wasn't capable of such speed.

"REEEEEEEEEEEET!"

She suddenly jolted in surprise when the boar let out another cry of pain. She looked back at the hog and her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of several red constructs sticking out of the boar. Upon closer examination, some of them seemed to be copies of swords, spears, axes, and several other types of weapons she didn't recognize.

What really caught her attention, was the person that was now standing on top of the boar. It was a tall male with hair that looked like it used to be brown, but was tinted a little bit with grey. He had some kind of sword in his hand, but it was slightly different from a regular sword. For one, swords that she had seen weren't as long and thin as his. They were usually a little bit thicker and shorter, trading range and reach for more power.

But his eye grabbing feature was the black and red cloak he was wearing.

The same type of cloak that Alex and Desmond were wearing.

And judging by the expressions they were giving, all of them definitely knew each other.

"...Jaune?" Alex asked with a surprised look. "How the hell did you get here?"

The teen briefly glanced up at atalanta before returning his attention back to Alex."...I followed you."

There was no need to ask what he mean by that. It was obvious that he had found the machine hiding in the basement and decided to activate it. They hadn't expected anyone to find it, but apparently they had severely overestimated how hidden it was.

Desmond cleared his throat. "Don't get us wrong, friend. We're glad to see you. But what are you doing here?"

Jaune pursed his lips and looked a little bit troubled. "I didn't come here alone. Roland was also with me at the time."

Alex and Desmond's eyebrows raised. Roland was one of person who actually introduced them to the fate series. He was a little bit of a history nerd, but you wouldn't know that by looking at him. He was both French from his mom's side and Greek on his dad's side. An odd combination, but he managed to pull it off pretty well. He also had a tendancy to get annoyed when people ask him if he was named after Charlamenge's paladin.

"So where is he at? You didn't loose him, did you?" Alex asked with narrow eyes.

"That's part of the reason why I'm here." Jaune said before his voice lowered into a whisper. "And, uh… I can trust her, right?" Craning his head slightly towards Atalanta, who was still perched up in the tree.

"Yeah. She's cool." Desmond turned and gestured to the huntress. "Come on down, sis. Introduce yourself."

Atalanta tensed up a bit before relaxing. She dropped from the tree and landed gracefully before walking up to Jaune with a blank face that didn't give away any of her thoughts or feelings on him.

She extended her hand. "My name is Atalanta."

Jaune blinked at that. Brief, direct, and straight to the point. Clearly a professional.

He raised his hand and shook hers with a little bit of a squeeze. Just so she wouldn't think that he was weak.

"Jaune. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Atalanta." Jaune introduced with a curt nod, earning a small smile from the huntress. He didn't wince, but he was quite surprised by the raw strength Atalanta gave. Her grip was slightly crushing his hand. Which is odd, considering that her arm was skinny. Where did she get all that strength?

"So as we were saying." Alex said once greetins and introductions were done. "What's the problem you have, and in what way does it concern Roland?"

Jaune immediately switched back to being tense. "The situation is grave. It only started just a few days ago, but he has already moved all the way up to here."

"Dude, seriously. What is going on?" Desmond asked, getting even more nervous by Jaune's withholding of information. "What exactly is Roland doing right now that's got you so riled up?"

"I'm getting to that." Jaune snapped. He took a deep breath. "Roland isn't exactly doing charity or hero work right now. For the past few days, he's been busy carving a path of destruction from the southern part of Greece. Currently, he's only a few towns away."

Desmond, Alex, and Atalanta's eyes widened. THAT was surprising. Roland wasn't known for violent outbursts or any kind of mental condition that would make him do such a thing.

"H-hey man, are you serious?" Alex muttered nervously. "That can't be true. Roland would never do such a thing. You gotta be joking."

Unfortunately, Jaune's face was definitely not one of a joker. "I'm serious. He's been going around destroying small villages and towns. A small kingdom once sent a platoon of soldiers to apprehand him, but he just blasted them away and kept marching."

Atalanta's grip tightened on her bow. "If what you say is true, then he must be stopped. I don't know who this Roland person is, but I will personally strike him down with my arrows should he ever show his face. Such barbaric actions need to be stopped at once!"

Jaune's face soured. "See, that's the thing that makes it more complicated. He's not exactly in control of his own actions."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Honestly, it'll sound a little bit cliche."

"Just say it. Nothing could possibly make this any more messed up." Desmond said with a sigh.

"Well…" Jaune's face contorted into discomfort. "Roland is being controled by a ghost."

Silence.

Alex's face soured. "Like The Exorcist?"

Jaune nodded.

"And this isn't some Caspar the friendly ghost, right?" Desmond asked with a tired look.

Another nod.

"Well isn't this just great?" Alex muttered with an annoyed look before he turned to Atalanta. "Have you ever heard of this happening? Ghosts coming back from the underworld and possessing people?"

Atalanta frowned. "Souls do occasionaly manage to sneak their way back into the world of the living. Lord Hades sometimes has trouble managing them all, but the chance of a ghoul taking control of someone is quite low."

Desmond frowned. "Why's that?"

"Souls that escape are usually caught by the Furies." Atalanta explained. The furies were three demons that were said to be Hades' personal torturers. Which makes them his sort of second in command. "Then there's Thanatos. He's the one usually in charge of reaping souls and bringing them back to the underworld."

"Well then this is seriously some deep shit Roland is in right now." Jaune muttered. "If thanatos or the Furies come after him because he's harboring a fugitive soul, they'd kill him without a second thought."

Actually, what was more worrying then having Roland be butchered by some dude with a scythe and three old demon grandmas was if he was the one who was doing all the ass kicking. At full power, he could probably take on several gods if he wanted to. Of course, it would probably kill him without proper training.

"If that's true, then we should better hurry." Alex said with a grim look. "Once we find him, let's beat the shit out of him and see if that works. If it doesn't, we'll figure something out."

The four of them nodded before Jaune frowned. "Ah… yes. By the way, what are we going to do with the dead boar? We certainly can't leave it to rot, right? That's like, against animal rights or something like that."

"I do not know about these rights you are talking about." Atalanta said as she eyed the boar. "But you're right. We can't leave the boar out here. Alex, may I borrow your swords for a moment?"

"What for?" Alex asked.

"So I can skin it, stupid." Atalanta said with an 'are you retarded?' look.

"Ah… Right." Alex muttered with a red face. He passed her his Kiba swords and Atalanta began working on the beast with amazing speed. While she was busy butchering the beast for its hide, Meleager ran up to them with a huge grin on his face.

"hey, guys." Meleager said as he stopped to catch his breath. "I see you managed to pull it off." He turned to Jaune and frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I've met you before."

"I'm Jaune. A friend of Desmond and Alex." Jaune said with a nod of his head.

I see." Meleager said with a friendly nod back. "Well, I'm the prince of Calydon, Meleager." He turned to Alex and desmond and grinned. "Great job with the boar, friend. I knew you could do it."

Alex shrugged. "it was all Atalanta, really. We were just the bait."

"Sure, sure." Meleager said with a grin before his smile melted. "By the way, I was going to have a victory celebration later, but I don't think it'd be safe. Since Atalanta was the first to draw blood, she's going to get the hide like I promised. Still, I don't know how violent the others will react to this. It's best if you got out of here quickly before they circle around and come back for you."

"that's fine with me. I can't stand those men." Atalanta muttered as she finally skinned the boar hide. "Sadly, I won't get to see their reaction when they see that I have the hide. They might give me a justifiable reason to kill a few of them."

Jaune gave Alex a strange look. As if to say, 'what is wrong with her?'

Alex just shook his head. 'she's just cranky.'

After several minutes of exchanging goodbye hugs and handshakes, the four of them finally left the swamp and followed Jaune's directions towards where he had last seen Roland comitting mass genocide.

* * *

Up on Olympus, Artemis suddenly paused mid-stride as she was showing Luke another section of Olympus. Luke frowned at her abrupt halt and studied her face with slight concern.

"Er, Lady Artemis?" Luke said hesitantly. It was still odd talking to a goddess who looked about his age and calling her Lady, but it was much more easier to talk to than her adult form.

"So my champion has finally succeeded." Artemis muttered to herself.

"Huh?"

"Ah… don't mind me. I'm just talking to myself." Artemis said with a small smile as she continued to lead him along.

"So… any tips on how to deal with Zeus? I don't really fancy myself getting obliterated by a lightning bolt." Luke said as he picked at his cloak.

"Deaing with father? No easy way to do that, I'm afraid." Artemis said with an amused smile. "He has quite the short temper, so I just suggest doing whatever he tells you to do."

"Never would have thought about that. Thanks." Luke muttered sarcastically. Suddenly, there was a bright flash ahead of them and a woman stepped out of the light. She was definitely a god. That much he could tell by looking, but her aura was more… peaceful. Not as violent as the other gods he passed.

She had a red shawl wrapped around her head, and her face was young and motherly. Her eyes were bright orange, and her age looked to be somewhere in the young twenties or so.

When Artemis saw her, she immediately bowed. "Aunt Hestia."

The goddess smiled. "Hello there, Artemis. I see you've made yourself a friend." The woman fixiated her gaze on Luke, but her smile never left her face. "Hello there, young immortal. Are you ready for your appointment with Zeus?"

"Do I really have much of a choice?" Luke said with a sigh, causing Hestia to chuckle.

"Not really. It's just formalities." Hestia said with a light tone before she turned once again to Artemis. "Go and check on your brother. The two of you have some catching up to do."

Artemis nodded. "As you wish, Aunt Hestia." She gave luke a small smile. "Don't get yourself smited by Dad, alright Luke?"

"I'll try not to." Luke promised with a grin. Artemis patted him on the head before vanishing in a flash of light, similar to that of Hestia's entrance.

"You've certainly made an impression on her. I can't remember the last time besides Orion where she treated a male with such kindness." Hestia commented before she shook her head. "I am getting ahead of myself. Come. Let me show you to Lord Zeus."

Luke sighed, before taking Hestia's hand. Unlike the twins, Hestia seemed much more tolerable. She had a really warm aura that seemed to calm his nerves even though he might be technically walking to his death.

The world turned upside down and the two of them were suddenly back in the throne room. This time, the seats were not vacated. The first one held a huge swole man with a manly grey beard that covered up most of his face. The air crackled around him, as his mere presence caused electricity to intensify in the air.

Next to him was a beautiful woman who slightly looked similar to him. She had dark hair and sky blue eyes that seemed to bore right into him. She didn't radiate as much power as the man, but she had a white aura of power that surrounded her like a shroud.

Hestia bowed. "Brother Zeus, Sister hera, I have brought the boy."

"Thank you, Hestia." The bearded Zeus said with a nod of his head. His voice sounded like rumbling thunder. "So this is the boy whom Dementer wanted me to judge, eh?"

Hera sighed. "Don't blast him right away like you did with the rest of them just so you can get this over with sooner." She turned her attention back to Luke and smiled. "You must be related to those young men down in Colchis, right?"

Luke nodded without hesitation and without fear. "Yes, Ma'am. My name is Luke, and I'm King Aeetes personal guard."

"Like that fine young man, kuro?"

"Mhm." Luke nodded.

Zeus snapped his finger. "And you wouldn't happen to know a pair of young gentlemen named Alex and Desmond, would you?"

"Alex is my brother and Desmond is his friend." Luke said, although his gaze was more directed towards the hearth in the corner where Hestia sat. It looked so warm and cozy. It also looked like a nice place to roast some marshmallows.

"Fine young men those two were." Zeus said with a nod of approval. He turned to his wife. "You should have been there, my dear. The way those two handled that Hydra was spectacular!'

"Only you and Poseidon find monster bashing spectacular." Hera muttered. "I much prefer Kuro over those two. At least he didn't kill my dragon unluke your stupid son who'd have killed it without a second thought.

"Which son?" Zeus asked with a frown. He had quite a lot of those. It was kind of hard to keep track of all of them.

"Heracles." Hera said with an annoyed look.

"Oh." Zeus muttered. By this point, both of them had strayed off of their intended point and into an another one entirely. "Wait… They were in your grove?"

"Mhm. Your son," Hera made her displeasure known with another spectacular scowl. "Was there to get some of my apples for his twelve stupid tasks. Kuro was there, on the other hand, for a much more noble reason." She let out a jealous sigh. "I wish someone like him could have been my son."

"Eh?" This was totally new. Hera only had two settings: Angry and Annoyed. Seeing his wife give something other a scowl was like swimming up a waterfall while seven of the planets were alligned. It was just that rare.

I'm surprised you didn't blast my son." Zeus commented. "Has this mortal been influencing your judgement?" He knew all about his wife's assasination attempts on his son, but he didn't try to stop it. Why? Because it was amusing to see her reaction everytime she failed.

Hera went back to scowling. "I do not do things on anyone's accord but my own. I simply didn't want to blast the oaf with Kuro so close by."

"Mhm." Zeus nodded as he stroked his beard. "And may I ask what he did with the apples?"

"Oh, he ate them." Hera said casually, causing Zeus to nearly fall out of his throne.

"And you let him?" Zeus asked incredulously.

"Why not? Don't tell me your against my decision, dear husband? He is my chosen champion and I will treat him however I wish." Hera said with a sickening smile.

Zeus, however, wasn't fooled. That was the smile of a woman who promised him pain if he didn't agree. "Me? Against your wisdom? Never, my dear…" He chuckled nervously.

Hera nodded, pleased. "Good. Glad to see you and I are on the same page." She leaned back in her throne and put on a thoughtful look. "Now that I think about it, it seems our young guest has eaten his share of fruit too."

Eh? The kid? How'd you know?" Zeus asked his wise wife, earning another annoyed look.

"You need to start paying more attention to the people infront of you. You're supposed to be the judge, remember? Can't you sense the fresh golden blood of immortals that now runs through his veins?"

Zeus blinked, before he turned his attention back to Luke. "Tell me boy, is this tru-" he suddenly paused when he realized that Luke was no longer in front of him. Suddenly, a quiet voice came over from the hearth.

"Over here, brother."

Zeus and Hera turned to find Hestia and Luke over by the hearth. Hestia was watching the boy with a slightly curious expression as she watched him giggle to himself as he hung something over the fire.

"What is he doing?" Zeus muttered.

"He's roasting something." Hera answered.

It was true. Despite the seriousness (which disappeared about 5 minute ago) of the situation, Luke had decided that the hearth was a much better place to be than in front of two gods arguing over him. He held Nuibari out in front of him and used it like a stick to hold a square white object above the flames.

"Child…" Hestia said in her usual quiet voice, getting his attention. "What is it that you are roasting?"

"Hm?" Luke said as he looked up from his cooking. "Oh. I call it a marshmallow."

"Marshmallow?" All three immortal beings echoed.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. It's… A snack I came up with while I was out on my own." He took the white treat off of his sword and held It out to Hestia. "Wanna try?"

Hestia nodded wordlessly. She reached out and plucked the white object off of his sword. It was still hot, but she was already used to the heat after countless hours of tending the hearth while the other olympians were away.

The treat's smell waffed up her nose, making her pause for a moment as she savored the surprisingly wonderful smell. Oddly, she couldn't compare the smell to anything else. Not even the special ambrosia that she always made smelled like this.

She popped the treat into her mouth and chewed slowly. Zeus and Hera leaned forward with curious expressions, wondering what their quiet sisters' reaction was going to be to this strange new 'marshmallow'.

Hestia's eyes widened. The crispy texture, the sticky insides, the pure sugar rush! This was nothing like what she had expected it to be, but she soon found herself craving for the white block.

"I-incredible!" Hestia muttered in awe as she finally swallowed the treat and turned to her siblings with an amazed smile. "Brother, sister, you must try some!"

Zeus and Hera raised their eyebrows at that. Their normally quiet and composed sister never acted like this. She wasn't one to raise her voice over a whisper. Which means that the treat couldn't be that bad.

"Pass one here, boy." Zeus ordered with a slightly eager tone.

"And one here as well." Hera said with a more polite tone.

"Alright. Catch." Luke said as he tossed another two white marshmallows to the immortals, one for each. Both of them popped their marshmallows into their mouths immediately, eager to see what it tasted like.

5 seconds later, the two of them snapped.

"Holy me!" Zeus cried out.

"This is incredible! It's just as good as ambrosia! Maybe even better!" Hera declared in agreement. "What is it made out of?"

"I'm glad you like it." Luke said with a grin. "It's just a block of sugar. You can get that stuff anywhere."

"Sugar." Zeus echoed. "Like those sugarcanes that Dementer keeps talking about. Hestia! Find Dementer quickly, and tell her to bring in some sugar cane. Tell her it is of the utmost importance!"

Hestia bowed. "Yes, brother." She vanished into dust as she went to go find the grain goddess.

Seconds after she left, however, a man appeared in a flash of his own. He had curly hair, a small mustache, and sky blue eyes. In his hands was a staff that had two live twin snakes wrapped around it.

"Hey, dad. We have an issue." The man said before he saw Luke and frowned. "Whose the runt?"

"Hermes! Don't call our guest that!" Hera said with a scolding tone, making the man flinch. Inwardly, having the goddess of Heaven was probably one of the best things that could happen to you.

"Sorry." Hermes muttered with a scratch of his head. "Anyway, about that problem…"

"Speak, my son." Zeus ordered.

"Well, I know this may sound weird and all, but I just saw a flying horse with several passangers flying towards us." Hermes shrugged. "Just letting you know in case you want me to deal with it. You want me to smack them out of the sky?"

Zeus frowned. A flying horse? Odd. "No. it is fine. I will deal with it myself." He cleared his throat. "Granymede! Get in here!"

A young man popped his head in the room through one of the nearby doors. "Yes, lord Zeus?"

"Fetch me my lightning bolt. It's over by the counter near my chariot."

"Actually, I think those might be my friends." Luke spoke up, not wanting his friends and pet horse to be blasted out of the sky by a nuclear lightning bolt. "They probably got worried about me not coming home and tracked me down."

"Tracked you down? Colchis is very far from here, luke. How would they have managed to locate where you were at?" Hera asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Luke rolled up his sleeve and showed his armband that had the fuinjutsu tracking seal on it. "Magic. We have a knack for it."

Zeus nodded. "Forget what I said, Granymede. Leave my lightning bolt." The cup bearer just nodded and ducked back into his room.

Hermes tilted his head. "So… no smacking them out of the sky?"

Hera sighed. "No."

"Party pooper." Hermes muttered.

Zeus stood up. "As the king of Olympus, I must be the first to greet them. Hermes, you go down and guide them to the landing pad for our chariots. Hera, you just stay here and watch over luke, and you my dear boy should continue to supply us with those marshmallows."

Luke sweatdropped at that. After all that, he still wanted marshmallows? It's not like it'd be much of a problem for him, but he always thought marshmallows weren't that great unless they had chocolate. Perhaps he could teach the gods how to make chocolate? If he did, would they make him a god of chocolate like they made Dionysus a god of wine?

He giggled at the thought.

As soon as zeus disappeared in a crackle of electricity, Hermes gave Hera and Luke a confused look.

"What's a marshmallow?"

* * *

 **Yo! What's up guys? Spring break is over, and I'm just here to tell you that I will be going back to my usual schedule. Which, unfortunately, means less chapters coming out each week from now on until summer break.**

 **Aw...**

 **I know, I know. I'm sad too.**

 **But that said, be sure to tune in from time to time for the next chapter that I'm almost finished with.**

 **Peace out!**

 **-baloshua**


	26. smackdown

Dionysus, being the newest god of an ancient alcoholic beverage, usually wasn't taken very seriously. That was fine by him. It just meant a much more satisfying reaction when he crushes those unbelievers under his foot.

He lounged on a throne made out of grapevines that sprouted their own grapes as he watched his followers party in the late hours. Most of them were dryads and centaurs, but they were fun to party with. Sometimes a little bit too fun.

Right now, he was currently on his way to the east so he could spread the great news about his awesome beverage to others and gain more followers to expand his revelries.

Why?

Why not? He was interested in what lies there.

His army was now resting (partying) in a grove somewhere near Calydon for a little R&R. Even gods needed their daily breaks from time to time.

But there was one thing that he never approves of: the spying of or viewing of his revelries by outsiders. The last time that had happened, he had got a bunch of his followers to tear the unfortunate man to shreds. He wouldn't be missed.

So imagine his surprise and annoyance to find a young man stumble into his party without his permission.

The man wore some kind of black cloak with red cloud patterns on it. On his head was some kind of covering that shielded his face from view, hiding any noticeable features. In his hand was a sword that radiated with the smell of fresh blood.

Dionysus snarled. Who does this man think he is to barge in here with a drawn sword of fresh blood? Perhaps he has slain some of his followers?

If so, it required punishment. He wasn't going to let this man intrude upon his most sacred rituals. (AKA Party Plans.)

He whistled, a loud taxi cab whistle that was noticeable even amongst the crazy yelling, music, and rowdiness of the crowd. At once, everything quieted down and faced him with the utmost respect.

He stood up from his throne and cleared his throat before pointing over to where his target was. "Look at what we have here. This man is trespassing, making a mockery of our sacred rituals!" The killing intent from the crowd immediately jumped from zero to a hundred in a second.

Dionysus let out a smug smile as he watched his followers get into a frenzy. When they got like this, nothing was able to stand in their way. Not even the armies that tried to stop him from partying in their kingdom.

Kinda like Irish people during St. Patricks day.

The man, however, simply stood still and didn't seem to be interested in the impending danger. His shoulders were square and relaxed, almost like he didn't see the huge army of thousands as a threat.

The army was already pumped up on wine and adrenaline from all that partying. When they got into this state, they ignored all pain and had a fascinating urge to tear apart whomever Dionysus pointed his finger at. Effectively turning them into killing machines who held no sense of guilt or remorse over what they did, only caring about doing their lords wishes.

"Tell me, what do we do with trespassers and unbelievers?" Dionysus asked his followers with another swig of wine.

"We kill them!" The crowd answered as some of them began hefting clubs, spears, and some wine mugs.

Dionysus smiled proudly as if he was walking a baby walking for the first time. "Very good! Now, show him how we do so!"

The army roared and charged towards the man, intent on tearing him apart and turning the ground into a horror movie scene. The entire area would become a bloody masacre that would make the makers of SAW (The horror movie) disgusted.

Well, he was right in one way. This place was goiing to be a massacre. Just not for who he had in mind.

* * *

Leading the charge were the Maenads, crazy nymphs that were basically the most hardcore party people of all time. Which basically makes them Dionysus' right hand followers in the art of partying, killing, and pretty much everything else.

They were impervious to pain and each wielded a huge staff that was topped with a pinecone instead of a spearhead. They were Thyrsus rods, one of the symbols for Dionysus that you could find him holding if you saw any of his statues or paintings in Greece. Each of them weiged half a ton and could split a skull easily with a single swing.

The Maenads giggled in glee as they saw that their target continued to stand still, making him an easy pinata. Except he wasn't going to be spilling out tootsie rolls or smarties and suckers when he got it.

Nope, he'd be leaking fruit punch!

Just as the crazy nymphs descended down on the man with the intent of turning him into a pancake, there was an explosion of wind and the army halted as the air buffeted them.

When the winds stopped, body parts were raining down from the sky. That was supposed to happen, right? The man was supposed to go boom and body parts were supposed to fly everywhere. So why were there eight arms rolling around in the dirt?

The man just stood there with his sword raised in a finished slash motion. Rolling around his feet in the dirt were several decapitated Maenad heads. If any of them weren't currently drunk, they would have saw this as a target out of their league.

Unfortunately, Alcohol tended to make people become retarded.

Instead of wisely retreating, the army roared in anger as they charged again. Within a couple minutes the entire area had turned into a battleground full of drunken horse men and nymphs.

The man was a demon in human form. Each swing of his sword struck down a centaur or nymph without fail. He swept his arm out and blew several centaurs away with some invisible force. He made some sort of guesture with his hand and the earth suddenly turned to mush, sinking many up to their heads and suffocating them in mud. Every punch he threw sent his target flying back with broken bones, or worse case scenario, a hole in where he punched them.

The man tossed another centaur into a herd of his friends before he made a handsign and blew a fireball into another group of nymphs, setting them on fire and scatering them in a panic.

The army began throwing spears, sheilds, or whatever they could get their hands on in a desperate attempt to kill him. The man was simply just too fast. He ran straight out of the kill zone with speed and finese as he landed on the branches of a nearby tree.

By this point, the army was starting to sober up. Centaurs were no longer brimming with drunk confidence, but with fear. Maenads and nymphs were staring in horror at the literal pile of bodies that littered the area.

Dionysus simply stood by his throne in shock. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. the man was supposed to have died quickly and easily. Make a little show out of him so that it would raise the armies morale. Now, nearly a quarter of his army was slain in the blink of an eye by a single man.

He eyed the man standing on the branch with a nervous look. What was he going to do next? He showed the ability to manipulate the earth, fire, and wind. His strength was off the charts and so was his speed. His sword wasn't even covered with extra blood despite the amount of corpses that now littered the ground. His swings were that fast.

Right now, the man seemed to be catching his breath but he couldn't be sure. What was he waiting for? Should he pull his army out now, or risk another charge in the hopes of catching the man while he was tired.

Unfortunately, he got his first question answered first.

The man dropped out of the tree and landed on the floor gracefully. The army skittered nervously in response. He stood up and ominously stood up and took a daunting step forward.

The army stepped back.

The man stepped forward.

The army stepped back.

Suddenly, he paused in his movement and stood still. Suddenly, the sword in his hand vanished into the fold of his robes in a single fluent manner. The horde relaxed for a moment, before two massive objects appeared in both of the man's arms.

They were each shrouded in darkness, but their shape could be seen and traced. At first, they seemed to be clubs, but the way the man was gripping them was not how anyone would hold one.

The man hefted both in his arms, each giving off a groan as if gears were turning, and pointed both of them at the army. The centaurs and Nymphs gave each other odd looks. What was the man doing?

They were answered with the sound of a click before the entire area was filled with the sound of explosions.

Or at least, that's what it sounded like. The massive objects in the man's hand began producing flashes of light that illuminated the darkness followed with the sudden dropping of bodies as they were suddenly torn apart by some unseen objects.

Centaurs and Nymphs retreated in mass panic as more and more of them were mowed down by machine gun fire. They could hear the sounds of bullets flying past them, but they couldn't see them. To them, it was like an unseen force was striking them down in cold fury.

Like a god.

Dionysus stood up from his throne and raised his hand, intent on stopping this man from doing any more damage. He was going to blast him with a curse and turn him into a grape vine. He'd look much more better as a grape vine.

He suddenly paused mid-spell as the man soon trained his weapons on him and the hail of bullets smashed into the ground around him, kicking up dirt and other earthly substances.

Dionysus cursed in fear and disappeared in a flash of light to avoid being torn apart by a hail of lead. Without their leader, their was no longer any more disciple in the army, not like there was much to begin with. They all scattered in different directions, no longer caring about where they were going as long as it was away from that madman.

The man didn't stop firing until the last of the satyrs disappeared from his sight. With the deed done, he dropped his weapons and stood silently as a ghostly figure appeared at his side.

"Amazing…" The ghostly figure breathed with amazement and giddiness. "Amazing, my faithful host! Hundreds have perished in the blink of an eye!"

The spectre was a man with a shrivled beard and crazy eyes. He wore a simple greek chiton and was deadly white. Not like you could tell since his entire form was transparent so you could see through him.

"I never thought you could do stuff like this until i took you out on those poor villagers. Now that i have you, Hades wouldn't dare send his men after me to drag me back to the underworld. I have cheated death!" The ghost cackled with insane laughter while the man simply stood there silently. He couldn't respond anyway, it's not like the ghost would allow him to break free of his control by allowing him to talk. He was simply a body that was used to host the man's soul and attack anything the man deemed a threat.

"But that is not enough!" The man snarled as he floated around. "We will march down into the underworld and topple Hades from his throne. With him out of the picture, I will instigate myself as the new king of the underworld! I will let the dead flood back into the world of the living and wage war on Olympus!" The man cackled with glee. "I could rule over world! And you, my dear host, will be the one to do so in my stead."

"How about, no?" A voice called out from the edge of the tree line. Roland immediately jumped back as a kunai found itself planted in the dirt where he once stood. Four shapes appeared out of the trees and landed in front of him.

"What is this?" The man hissed as he floated behind Roland. "Who are you people?"

"Friends of his." Alex said simply as he pointed his spear at him. "If you kindly released him, we promise there won't be much trouble. You could still evade Hades' fury for a little while longer."

"Hah! You expect me to give your friend back to you?" The ghost laughed as he circled around them. "I've gone too far to turn back. Hades has promised me a spot in the fields of punishment for my crimes. No. I will not go back there."

"Wow. Pussy much?" Desmond muttered.

The ghost laughed without humor. "Think of me what you will. It won't matter. I'll let my little pet take care of you himself. He will teach you what happens when you mess with me. Sisyphus!" The ghost disappeared and Roland hefted his guns.

"What's he doing?" Atalanta asked with a slightly nervous look as she eyed the shadow covered weapons.

"Scatter!" Jaune yelled as he disappeared into the trees. Alex grabbed Atalanta's hand and pulled her with him as he and Desmond followed Jaune before the clearing once again filled with the sound of gunfire.

"Keep your distance." Alex yelled at Atalanta over the noise. "You'll be massacred up close!"

Atalanta looked a little bit miffed, but nodded anyway. She was no fool. She could tell those two weapons were projectile weapons even if they looked absolutely alien . Her eyes were used to seeing arrows going super sonic speed. So she was able to see the little balls of lead that peppered the trees with holes.

A rather impressive placeholder for an arrow. Instead of shooting a single arrow that could punch through a wall and cause massive damage to the surrounding area, the weapons shot small objects at speeds fast enough to make up for the size. It was meant to kill others through speed, not destroy the entire area with a huge package. Hephaestus would have been impressed.

"I'll set myself up farther away." Atalanta said as she gripped her bow. She wasn't a coward by any means, but running away wasn't a skill that archers should be ashamed of. The farther away they were meant that they could simply unleash their full potential.

"Take care, alright? With those weapons, he doesn't need to really aim." Alex warned with a worried tone. Atalanta simply smiled and disappeared into the forest as Jaune and Desmond appeared beside him.

"Alright... Before we come up with a plan, does anyone know some guy named Sisyphus?" Desmond asked as he peeked out of the woods before ducking back as bullets fell around him.

"I do." Jaune said grimly. "If you paid any attention during social studies, you'd know him. He's the first person in Greek mythology to actually escape death. Or at least, the most famous example."

Alex frowned. "How'd he do it? Isn't hades supposed to be keeping track of souls like these?"

Jaune grunted. "You know how it is. There's a lot of people living in Greece right now. Everyday someone dies and is sent down to Hades to be judged. That's a lot of souls for him to keep track of. Sisyphus was one of those who was supposed to get the most extreme punishments, but he managed to chain the greek god Death to escape."

"Eh? How do you chain death?" Desmond asked with a confused look.

"Actually, the greeks called him Thanatos: God of Death. He was sort of like the grim reaper of ancient Greece. His job was to collect souls and send them straight to Hades." Jaune shrugged. "Without him, people wouldn't be able to find their way to Hades and simply return back to life."

"But how do you chain a god of death? Isn't he supposed to be like some kind of unseen force that simply takes people away?" Alex asked.

Jaune threw up his hands. "I don't know! Legends just said that he was overpowered by sisyphus and chained up so he could escape and there was another time where Heracles beat him into submission to save a girl or something. Greek gods aren't exactly smart."

"You got that right." Desmond muttered as he kept his head down. "So this guy whose possessing Roland... is there any way we can force him out?"

"The guy is camping out inside Roland's head." Alex grumbled in annoyance. "It seems he somehow managed to set an 'attack mode' on him and force Roland to obey his command. Kind of like a reanimated shinobi."

"Except he's flesh and blood." Jaune pointed out. "We can't exactly bombard the area and hope that the ghost will get scared and leave. He doesn't have any qualms about ruining Roland's body since he could just find another one."

"Then our only way to stop Roland is to subdue him without killing him." Alex supplied. "Afterwards, we could try to exorcise him."

Desmond and Jaune gave him a blank look. "We're not exorcists."

Alex shrugged. "We could try. But enough talk..." He ducked as a bullet came dangerously close to his head. "Let's subdue him. I'll take right, Jaune takes left, and..."

"I'll hit him from above." Desmond finished. "What about Atalanta? What will she do?"

"Suppressive fire." Alex said simply. "She's setting up shop a few miles away. In the meantime, wait for the opening."

Jaune and Desmond frowned. "What opening?"

Suddenly, the hail of bullets stopped and the sounds of a trigger being pulled repeatedly echoed through the area. Roland's look didn't change, but he glanced down at his weapons with a confused grunt as his guns clicked on empty.

"That." Alex gestured before he charged out into the opening.

* * *

Everything was going fine until Sisyphus decided it was time to bust out the big guns.

The plan went swimmingly at first. The three of them separated as the guns clicked on empty, and charged for Roland. Alex's foot lashed out and kicked the dark machine guns out of his hands, causing them to disappear as they hit the floor.

Unfortunately, Roland didn't seem as surprised as he let out on. He blocked Alex's second strike with his own arm and smacked him back with a wild backhand, causing Alex to roll to the ground with a grunt.

Behind him, Jaune unsheathed his katana and swing it in a fast arc. He wasn't aiming for anywhere vital, but he was aiming to sever his arm. That might be vital for the normal human being, but they could easily reattach it with some healing jutsu after they were done. To his surprise, however, the blade simply clanged off his arm like it had struck metal.

"What?" Jaune muttered in surprise as he eyed Roland's arm. It had noticeably gotten darker, and took the color of hardened rock. "He hardened his arm with Earth Release?" His eyes suddenly widened when Roland's fist cocked back for a punch that was meant to take his head off his shoulder. He ducked under the punch and kicked him backwards into a tree, snapping it in half.

Such a blow and impact should have incapacitated him, but Roland still stood up without a problem. His hands glowed blue and energy seemed to gather at his hands. Jaune's eyes widened as Roland began shooting laser beams straight out of his hands as he raced towards him. Jaune backpedaled as the beams scorched the earth around him with electricity.

"Hi-yah!" Desmond yelled as he swung his lightning sword around and deflected most of the beams before running to meet Roland's charge. He swung his sword and Roland leaned back to dodge by simple inches before sending a hardened rock fist hurtling towards Desmond.

Reacting quickly, Desmond stepped back and swung his sword to block the strike. There was an explosion of sparks and Roland stumbled backwards in surprise and pain as his arm suddenly went numb. He looked down and saw that his arm was burnt and bleeding with a line of blood streaming down it.

"He damaged him?" Alex wondered as he regrouped with Jaune after recovering from the backhand.

"It would seem so." Jaune said as he eyed Roland's hand. "He used earth chakra to enhance his physical and defensive capabilities by hardening his body to a point that is just as hard as diamond. Physical blows would be nullified greatly." He narrowed his eyes. "Although, lightning chakra was said to be Earth's greatest weakness. The lightning seemed to have not fully pierced the defense, but it seemed to still do great damage."

"Alright. Then I guess I should use my spear for more range." Alex said as he withdrew his Kiba swords and summoned his spear. "Much safer this way."

"Unless he gets into your guard and starts pummeling you." Jaune pointed out. Even before they came to this world, Roland was known to get into a lot of street fights. As such, he actually loved relying on his bare hands other than hand weapons.

"I'll be careful." Alex said with a grin before there was a sudden explosion of power, knocking everyone to the ground. Desmond fell beside them, cursing and spitting out dirt as he picked himself up.

"Shit..." He cursed with a look. "This is bad."

"What now?" Jaune groaned as he stood up shakily.

"The ghost is pushing Roland further. He's making him tap more into his powers." Desmond announced as the smoke cleared and Roland stood there silently. His eyes had changed, taking on a purple hue with rings.

The rinnegan.

"ha! Ha! ha!" Sisyphus cackled as he appeared above Roland. "Excellent! This host holds more power than I could have ever expected! I assume that you three must do so as well..." He regarded them like he was a lion looking at his prey. "I'll let your friend beat you down before tying you up. Once that's done, I'll begin experiments to see what this power is. With it, I'll be able to rule over all the kingdoms! Maybe even olympus itself!" The ghost cackled in glee while Roland just remained silent.

"As if we'd let you do that." Jaune scoffed.

"Don't think we won't hold back our punches." Alex said with a nod as he readied his spear.

"And once we're through with knocking you out of our friend's body, you'll be enjoying a nice date with Hades." Desmond said as he held out his sword. "No one can escape punishment."

Sisyphus' eyes narrowed with obvious distaste for the god of hell. "Fool! I already have! I won't let any of you drag me back to the underworld in chains!" He snarled. "Now, it's time to test out my new toy." He pointed at the three of them in challenge. "Go! My pawn, kill them all!"

Roland disappeared in a burst of speed as the three of them prepared for an epic smackdown.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I finally finished this chapter! I didn't mean for it to take so long, but I really wanted to take a small break from writing so many chapters in the past several weeks. Also, I have a bunch of research papers that I really need to do so there's that.**

 **I'm also very happy to see that I'm getting closer and closer to 100 favorites after each and every chapter. For those of you who review, read, and favorite my story, thank you all! I know that getting to 100 might not be much for any of you, but it sure does mean a lot for me, :)**

 **Anyways on the talk about seeing more servants, that will come in the future. I already have a plan that will eventually include many servants in the future, but it'll take a while for me to place it into effect.**

 **And that's all for now. See you later, everyone!**

 **-baloshua**


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